Cotillion
by nherbie
Summary: Shelton Universe #1. Deeks and the team protect a naval admiral and his family at his daughter's cotillion. Deeks worms his way into their hearts and lives. This is the story of how Deeks has changed lives - and how far Deeks' friends will go for him in his own time of need. Send prompts and suggestions!
1. Chapter 1

I have no idea where this came from. I can't even begin to guess (and that SCARES me, LOL). I'm not sure if I used the concept of a cotillion in the right way, but I tried my best. I place this around the middle to end of season five.

I do not own NCIS:LA, I can only ask them to come out and play with my OC's.

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Chapter 1

Deeks smiled as he listened to Sam and Callen argue over who has saved who more times, his head moving back and forth like he was watching a tennis match. It was like listening to an old married couple fight over who makes dinner more often. It was an argument that seemed to come up with some fair regularity, usually after an op where one of them had been in danger and the other claimed he'd saved the day. He looked over at his partner and noticed the smirk on her face. Kensi felt him looking at her and she smiled at him when their eyes locked. He rolled his eyes at the two men and mouthed "I hate it when the parents fight". She made a face, causing him to burst into laughter. Both men stopped arguing and presented a united front against the junior agent and detective.

"What are you two laughing at?" asked Sam.

"What do you think, Sam? We've heard this argument a hundred times. Why are you even keeping score? Fern and I don't. She just admits I've saved her way more times than she has me, so there isn't a reason to fight." Deeks replied, knowing full well his partner would instantly be up in arms.

"Whoa there, cowboy! Did you just say _you've_ saved _me_ more times? We all know it's the other way around!" Kensi flared up before realizing her partner was deliberately baiting her. She looked at the three men grinning at her and stuck out her tongue.

"Real mature there Blye." laughed Deeks. Not caring, she just threw a pencil in his direction before laughing with the rest of her team. She was about to make a further comment when Eric appeared at the railing and whistled.

"Case on deck. Everyone up to Ops." he said, once he had their attention. They all got up and trooped up the stairs, gently continuing the "who saved who" count on their way, even overlapping partners. By the time they reached the door to Ops, they were all a little sobered as they realized just how many times each of them had been in danger of not coming home. They entered to find Hetty and Granger already there.

Once everyone was in place, Granger took the floor. "We've been notified by the Navy that the family of Admiral John Shelton has been targeted. The reason why has not yet been made known. Candid pictures of him, his wife and daughter were delivered to his home yesterday with a note stating ' _We can get to you and them whenever we want.'_ That was it, no demands, no explanations."

Callen said "Admiral Shelton is the Deputy Administrator of the NNSA's Nuclear Reactors. He would know the location of all our nuclear subs and supercarriers. He has access to critical classified information. Has he been taken into protective custody? What does the Department of Energy say?"

"He refuses to be threatened into hiding. Unfortunately, his wife and daughter are of like mind. Apparently, the daughter has some fancy coming out ball this evening and neither one will agree to miss it." replied Granger. "NCIS has been tasked with providing a security detail on the family while the Department of Energy looks into the threats."

Sam sighed. "So, babysitting duty?"

"I would hardly say that protecting an Admiral of the United States Navy and his family from a possible threat, to be babysitting duty Mr. Hanna." chided Hetty. "You will be responsible for making sure that neither the Admiral, nor any of his family, are hurt or abducted, thereby compromising the information the Admiral has access to and endangering our troops in the field!"

Sam nodded. He knew this was important but he'd rather be out tracking down the culprits than protecting the assets. "I understand. What do we have on the Admiral and his family?"

Nell responded by pushing several pictures up to the big screen. "This is Admiral John Shelton. He's a decorated navy vet and has been Deputy Administrator for the last three years. His wife is Laura Shelton. Old Georgia money and very involved in charities here in the L.A. area. Their daughter, Meaghan Shelton, has just turned 16 and attends the Marlborough School here in L.A. They have a cotillion planned for tonight to celebrate Meaghan's sixteenth birthday."

"A cotillion? Really?" asked Deeks, surprised that anyone in L.A. would be putting on such an old fashioned ritual.

"A cotillion is…." Kensi started to explain to her partner when he interrupted.

"..a formal ball at which debutantes are presented. I know what it is, Wikipedia. What I don't know is why a California teenager would want one for her sweet sixteen party." said Deeks. He shuddered, thinking how formal it would be. Not much fun at all and not what he would expect a teenager to be so looking forward to, that she would be willing to take a chance with her safety. Then again, teenager.

Hetty responded "I doubt the cotillion was her idea, Mr. Deeks. As Miss. Jones stated, Mrs. Shelton is from old southern money and, apparently, this is a long standing tradition in her family. Mr. Callen, Mr. Hanna, you are assigned to the Admiral. Where he goes, you go. Mr. Deeks, you will be protecting Mrs. Shelton and Ms. Blye, Miss. Shelton. You will not let them out of your sights. As we will be providing protection during said tradition, you will all need formal wear." she ignored the groans from Callen's team and continued. "Please meet me downstairs in wardrobe." as she exited Ops.

"Eric, send the address….." started Callen.

"….to your smart phones. Already done." said Eric.

The four members of the team looked at each other in resignation. "Might as well make the best of it. Let's go see what Hetty digs up for us to wear to a debutante's ball." said Callen. Deeks lifted a finger and opened his mouth, then closed it, not able to think of a single witty thing to say that would make attending this gala sound better.

They headed downstairs to find Hetty busily pulling out tuxedos, shirts and shoes for the men. Long formal gowns and shoes for Kensi were also piling up. One by one they made their selection and tried them on. Deeks almost swallowed his tongue when he saw his partner. He had seen her dressed sexy to get close to a suspect but never in something that made her look so elegant. She was long and sleek and very well aware of her effect on her partner. What he didn't know was that he had had the same effect on her while displaying how he looked in his tux for Hetty's approval, she had just hidden it better.

Once everyone was outfitted, Hetty carefully packed it up and shooed them on their way. The team took two cars to the address on their phones, making jokes over comms about how each of them was going to fare at the formal ball. Deeks pretty much won the most likely to make a fool of himself award, hands down. The three NCIS agents were seriously considering taking bets on how long it would take, wondering if Nell and Eric, as well as Hetty and Granger, would want in. That would greatly sweeten the pot for whoever won. Deeks just grinned and said "Bring it."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

They arrived at the Admiral's home and piled out of the cars. Deeks whistled. "I guess this is what old money buys in L.A." he said, looking up at the Plantation Style Mansion in front of them. Kensi just nodded, her mouth slightly open. The last home they had been to that was this over the top, was Ben and Aubrey Darva's several years ago for another case.

"Let's get going you guys. You can gawk later." laughed Callen, making his way up the front stairs and knocking on the door. A butler answered and he showed his badge. "NCIS Agents Callen, Hanna and Blye, LAPD Detective Marty Deeks, here to see Admiral Shelton. We're expected." The butler nodded and opened the door further, bowing them in. They entered to find themselves in a foyer that would rival Tara. Deeks just shook his head. He was not particularly impressed by ostentatiousness and this fit the bill. He thought of all the good that this kind of money could do in L.A. alone and sighed.

"The Admiral and Mrs. Shelton are in the drawing room. If you would please follow me." intoned the butler. Kensi and Deeks shared a look and almost burst into laughter. This would be fodder for stories, impressions and jokes for weeks to come. They were led into a large room to the right of the foyer. Heavy furniture, dark curtains, oriental rugs, book cases full of books and a large stone fireplace met them. Deeks felt like he had stepped back in time. Admiral and Mrs. Shelton stood by the fireplace, watching the four of them as they moved into the room.

Callen introduced them all, the Admiral and his wife shaking their hands. Deeks pretended not to notice that both gave him the once over and clearly found him lacking in comparison to the rest of his team. Callen began by trying to convince the Sheltons, once again, to go into protective custody. The Admiral and his wife both stood by their original decision not to be driven into hiding. He nodded, not having had any real hope that they would have changed their minds and told them the protection arrangements. Mrs. Shelton stared at Kensi for a moment and then said "Good luck."

Kensi looked confused and asked "What do you mean, Mrs. Shelton? Good luck with what?"

Mrs. Shelton smiled "Good luck with my teenage daughter. I doubt you will be able to get her away from her phone or tablet long enough to introduce yourself to her. If we try, she will be guaranteed to refuse any contact with you." Her smile faded as she finished her explanation.

Kensi drew herself up and said "I'm sure we'll do just fine ma'am. Could you tell me where Meaghan is right now? No time like the present to get acquainted."

"She's in the kitchen. Through that door over there." replied Mrs. Shelton, pointing at a door that was almost invisible in the far wall. Kensi walked over and through the door, leaving her team members to sort out the rest of the assignments. She was back within two minutes.

"Kensi?" asked Callen.

"I couldn't get anything but an eye roll. She wouldn't respond and wouldn't pull her earphones out. I'm not really sure what else to do that wouldn't involve violence." she replied in consternation. Callen chuckled. He was pretty sure Hetty had assigned Kensi to Meaghan in order to give the young woman a female to talk to but she hadn't known about Meaghan's attitude. He looked over at Deeks and wondered, could he get under the Admiral's daughter's skin the way he did everyone else's?

Decision made, he nodded at the younger man "You're up Deeks. See what you can do."

Deeks nodded his head at him and said "On it. Mrs. Shelton, can I have Meaghan's cell number please?" Laura Shelton looked surprised but gave him the number and he entered it into his phone as he ambled over to the door to the kitchen.

The Admiral, standing next to Sam, watched the detective saunter through the door and then turned to him. "I am not sure why that man is even on your team, Agent Hanna." he stated haughtily, aware from his bearing that Sam was most likely military, figuring he would think of the detective in the same light.

Sam looked the Admiral in the eye and said "Others have underestimated Detective Deeks in the past Admiral. To their detriment. Most are either in prison or in the ground. He's a good man and a great cop." He stared Shelton down, daring him to dispute his assessment of his team mate. The Admiral was silent, staring back at him. Finally assured, he nodded his head and they went back to the discussion of how the day was to play out.

Deeks wandered into the kitchen to find Meaghan Shelton sitting at the breakfast bar. Her head was down, ear phones in while she texted furiously on her phone, a tablet open in front of her playing music videos. He had no idea what she looked like, all he could see was the top of her strawberry blonde head. He walked over and leaned up against a counter facing the bar, not saying anything. He looked at the young woman in front of him, knowing full well that she knew he was there but was studiously ignoring him. He decided to approach this as if it were an undercover op. She was the mark and he needed a hook to get her interested. He scanned her from head to toe and noticed she was wearing a t-shirt for a local rock band. Deeks was very into the local music scene and knew the band well. He had even sat in for one of their guitarists once or twice when the man in question hadn't been able to make a gig. He smiled and sent a text to the number just provided by the girl's mother.

 _Nice t-shirt. Great band!_

Meaghan's phone beeped and he watched as she read the text. She texted back.

 _Who is this? I don't recognize the number._

Deeks chuffed out a soft laugh. This girl was going to be fun. He knew that she knew who was texting her. He also knew that she knew that he knew. Ok, now his head was starting to hurt.

 _Look up and find out!_

Meaghan Shelton decided to comply but do it in the most obnoxious way she could. She started with his feet, noting that she liked his boots but storing that away. She moved her eyes very slowly up the denim clad legs of the man in front of her. Jeez, she thought, do they ever end? She moved up past his waist and up to his chest. His arms were folded so she couldn't see what his stomach and abs looked like but she had a sneaking suspicion that he was in great shape, based on what else she was seeing. His arms looked toned but not muscle bound, she hated that. Still moving slowly up, she started to see his face. Scruffy looking beard, long scraggly hair. Huh, loser. She was sure her dad must have been totally unimpressed with the man standing in front of her. He hated when men weren't "squared away".

Continuing her insulting perusal of the man's body, she worked her way further up his face. Wide nostrils above the mustache, he must not be very good looking. Then she met the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen and felt butterflies start in her stomach. He grinned his crooked grin at her and she fell into those eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Detective Marty Deeks from the LAPD, Meaghan, but you can call me either Marty or Deeks. I've been assigned to protect you until we find out who's threatening your family." he said, holding out his hand. It took a moment for Meaghan to understand what he had said and then took his hand without thinking, shaking it.

"My parents don't like it when I call adults by their first names, even though I'm an adult now too." she said caustically, trying to regain her previous attitude.

"Well, I would really prefer you call me either one of those instead of Detective. I'll deal with your parents." he replied, winking at her. "So, you like Rocking Bars? What's your favorite song?"

Coming out of her daze, she sighed in frustration. Why did all adults feel like they needed to "connect" with you concerning something they obviously had no idea about. She thought about her mother, trying to use slang when talking to her, always getting it wrong or using words that hadn't been spoken for years. Embarrassing her in front of her friends. Shaking off the butterflies, she decided to trip up the police detective. "Oh, my favorite is Falling Hard! How nice of you to ask."

Deeks tilted his head to the side, knowing full well that this was not a song in the band's repertoire. "Really? I don't know that one. My personal favorite is Finding Peace with You." he responded, enjoying the look of surprise that crossed Meaghan's face.

"You really do know the band?" she asked.

"Yup. I've been following them for a few years now, along with many others. The L.A. music scene is full of great bands." he replied.

They started talking about their favorite bands, both local and professional and found they enjoyed the same type of music. Meaghan was starting to think this wasn't going to be too bad after all. Marty was fun and not as staid as all the adults her parents were friends with. She really didn't have much contact with any other adults, other than her teachers and they all had sticks up their butts.

"So, are you looking forward to your cotillion tonight?" Deeks asked.

Meaghan looked like she swallowed something sour. "I'd rather have bamboo shoved under my fingernails!" she replied.

Deeks snort laughed at the unexpected response, one that so closely resembled how he had felt when first told they would need to attend as well. This caused Meaghan to giggle, causing Deeks to burst into full on laughter, Meaghan immediately joining in. It really wasn't all that funny, just one of those things that struck you in the moment and there was no holding back. Their laughter floated back through the door into the drawing room, causing all conversation to stop. The Admiral and his wife exchanged looks before both turning to look at the door through which the laughter came. They both looked stunned.

Mrs. Shelton looked at Callen "I haven't heard that laughter in a long time, ever since she hit puberty. How did Detective Deeks get through to her?"

The NCIS agents looked at each other, knowing they really didn't have an explanation on how Deeks did what he did. Kensi was the first to respond, proud of her partner "It's Deeks. It's what he does." and she shrugged. The Sheltons looked back at the door and shook their heads, not sure how they felt about the fact that the scruffy looking detective had gotten their daughter to not only respond to him, but to laugh within minutes of meeting him. Something they had been unable to do for several months as she pulled further and further away from them.

In the kitchen, Deeks asked Meaghan why she was going through with the cotillion if it wasn't what she wanted.

"It's what my mother wants." she responded. "I don't really get along very well with my parents and I thought maybe this would help us a little. But I hate all that old music. Waltzes? Are you kidding me? My mother has been making me take ballroom dancing lessons for months. Like I'm ever going to dance a waltz after tonight!"

Deeks smiled at her and said "You know, classical music can be very elegant. Watching two people waltz is like watching them float on air. It's not so bad." His issue with going to the party that evening was not the music or the dancing, it was the dressing up and the uptight people who would most likely be attending.

"You can't be serious!" Meaghan gasped. "I mean, violins!"

"Hey, I grew up playing the violin!" Marty replied. "It's not all that far removed from the guitar, which I also play. There have been several rock songs that incorporate violin music!"

Now Meaghan was sure he was messing with her. The hot, tanned and toned surfer dude standing in front of her could not possibly play the violin. He had to be trying to make her feel better about tonight. She grinned and reached out to grab his hand, pulling him towards the drawing room. Everyone tracked their progress through the room and towards the door the agents had entered by earlier. "Mom, Dad, I'm going to let Marty play my violin in the music room." Meaghan threw over her shoulder as they exited the room. Deeks's face as he heard her pronouncement was priceless.

The NCIS agents looked stunned. Kensi recovered first, remembering what he had said when they had come across Astrid's cello. "He did say he grew up playing the violin." she stammered out.

Mrs. Shelton spoke up "He had better not break that violin. It's very expensive and hardly used. We bought it years ago for Meaghan but she just wasn't interested. All she wants to listen to is that awful noise she calls music." Kensi felt her hackles rise. If the woman could be any more condescending, she didn't know how. Hard to believe just minutes ago she had seemed pleased that Deeks had gotten her daughter to laugh with him.

Callen and Sam exchanged looks and worriedly started towards the door. "Gentlemen, if we are going to spend the rest of the day chasing down your detective to try to keep him out of trouble, maybe we should get another team in here for protection duty?" asked the Admiral. Callen's lip curled. He really wanted to tell the Admiral what he could do with his protection duty but, he knew Hetty would kill him when he got back to the Mission, so he reluctantly turned back, Sam following.

Meaghan pulled Deeks into a room off the left of the foyer. He stopped in surprise. There was a grand piano taking up a large portion of the room along with several other instruments around the edge. "How many instruments do your family play?" he asked.

"My mother plays the piano, a little. They're mostly just here for show and to allow any guests to play if they know how. My parents gave me this when I was seven. They wanted me to learn an instrument that would be acceptable in higher society." replied Meaghan, pulling a violin out of its case. "I guess I should be grateful they didn't decide I should play the harp!" Deeks laughed with her again but his eyes were tracking the violin Meaghan was handling so roughly. He reached out and took it out of her hand gently. He touched the strings and found it out of tune. Putting it up to his chin, he took the bow from the case and started to tune it. By the look on Meaghan's face, he was pretty sure she had not expected him to know one end from the other.

Once he had it tuned to his liking, he looked at Meaghan. "Any requests? I need to warn you, I haven't played in a while so I'm going to be rusty." He really didn't want to play the instrument. He knew he would never hear the end of it from his team but he had gotten her to begin to trust him and, if it looked like he had lied to her, they would be back in the Kensi boat.

She just looked at him and shrugged nonchalantly. "Whatever your favorite is, is fine with me." She didn't want to admit that she had no idea of what music a violin would be used for. She had steadfastly refused to pay attention in any music appreciation class at school and tuned out her mother when she talked about the classical music she liked. She was still not sure he actually knew how to play it.

Taking a deep breath, Deeks put the violin under his chin and did a few warm up chords. Closing his eyes, he began to softly play one of his favorites, one he knew he would be able to play fairly well after all this time. Drawing the bow across the strings, he began Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. Meaghan's jaw dropped as she listened.

He tried to keep the music quiet so it would not be heard across the hall but, as he sank into it, he lost contact with the world around him. The only thing he was aware of was the violin and the music. As he gained confidence, he increased the volume without conscious thought and the music could now be heard in the drawing room. Once again, the conversation there petered out. Sam looked at the Sheltons and said "Your daughter is very talented. You must be very proud of her."

The Sheltons looked at him in shock. Mrs. Shelton finally managed to say "My daughter has never played a day in her life, Agent Hanna. She has refused all offers of lessons." The five people in the room stared at each other as they realized the only other explanation was that the beautiful music they were hearing was actually being produced by Deeks.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Deeks finished the song and let the last notes fade away before opening his eyes. Catching Meaghan looking at him like he was an alien species made him feel self-conscious. He cleared his throat "Well, like I said, I'm pretty rusty."

Meaghan opened and closed her mouth a couple times, not sure how to tell him how beautiful the music had been or how beautiful he had looked while playing it. Can you even call a guy beautiful? she wondered. This brought her back to earth. She smiled at him and quietly said "That was one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard. Maybe there's more to this classical music than I thought." He smiled back at her, delighted that she hadn't immediately turned her nose up at what he had played.

Turning, he noticed his entire team, plus the Admiral and Mrs. Shelton, standing in the doorway. His team looked blown away. He blushed and handed the violin back to Meaghan to be put away. Callen seemed to sense his discomfort and, instead of teasing the detective for what they had just witnessed, said "We've gone over what needs to be done prior to the event tonight. You and Kensi need to accompany Mrs. Shelton and Meaghan to the hair and nail salons for their appointments. We'll be staying here with the Admiral." The rest of the team followed Callen's lead and didn't make any snarky comments. Deeks looked at his team leader in appreciation but when Callen smirked back at him, he knew he would be teased unmercifully once away from the Shelton household. They were closing ranks around him while here but he would be fair game back at OSP.

He sighed and then registered what Callen had said. "Wait, what? Hair salon? Nail salon?" he whined. Callen nodded and grinned at him.

"Let's go partner. If we don't leave now, they're going to be late for their hair appointments." said Kensi. His shoulders slumped and he started to shuffle out of the room.

Meaghan reached out and touched his arm. She leaned up and whispered in his ear "Don't worry Marty! I'll protect you from my mom." Deeks looked down at her, saw the twinkle in her eye and laughed. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. He and Meaghan could make fun of the whole enterprise behind her mom's back. He caught Kensi frowning at him. She couldn't be jealous of a sixteen year old, could she? He gave her a big smile and thumbs up.

Leaving the music room, the Admiral, along with Sam and Callen headed to his home office. He had work to do but didn't need to go into the office to do so. Mrs. Shelton gathered her hand bag and turned to Kensi and Deeks. "Do we take the car or do you drive us?"

Kensi answered "We'll take my car, Mrs. Shelton. I'm trained in evasive driving and would prefer to be in a car I'm very familiar with, should we need it." Mrs. Shelton sniffed and nodded, turning for the front door. Deeks and Meaghan exchanged a look and Deeks looked over at Kensi, including her in the conspiracy. She hesitated a moment and then smiled hugely at them, winking at Meaghan who winked back. Kensi was suddenly feeling better about this assignment. While she had originally failed at getting Meaghan to trust her, her partner had broken through and had also revealed a huge part of himself to her and the team. She couldn't wait until they got back to OSP. She would tease him but, mostly, she just wanted hear him play again.

They left the house, Kensi going first and scanning the surrounding area. The butler went with them and opened the door for both Shelton women to get into the back seats. Deeks came out last, also scanning the area and then got into the front passenger seat. As they drove away, Mrs. Shelton began giving them directions to the hair salon, Deeks not really paying attention, instead watching for any tails. When they pulled into the parking lot, he noticed where they were and said "Oh, this is a great place!"

Kensi snorted and looked at him "And just how would you know that Shaggy?" she said snarkily.

He smiled back at her "I have my sources, Fern." knowing this non-answer would get his partner riled up. He swung out of the car and, once again, scanned the area. Kensi paused for a moment and then followed suit.

In the backseat, mother and daughter exchanged a look. This partnership was obviously more than that. Meaghan felt a little sting of jealousy but pushed it back. She knew Marty was too old for her and she was just crushing on him a little. Still, she'd keep an eye on Kensi to make sure the federal agent treated her police detective right. She hadn't been pleased with the tone in the agent's voice.

Once they had the all clear from their protectors, they got out and headed into the hair salon. Laura went once a week to have her perfectly coiffed hair neatened up but Meaghan hadn't had anyone touch her hair in months. She just let it grow out and put it up in a ponytail or left it down. Of course, neither of these hair styles met with her mother's approval for tonight's party so she was forced to come along.

Moving into the building, Kensi and Marty quickly scanned the employees and clients. Nothing looked out of place. Marty looked around once more and was disappointed when he didn't see the familiar face he was looking for. Turning back to the women, he indicated that all was well. He didn't notice Meaghan looking over his shoulder in confusion as she watched a blonde woman with purple streaks in her hair advance on Marty with her hands up in the air like claws. She was about to say something when the woman drove her hands into his hair, dug in and started to shake his head back and forth. "When are you going to let me get my hands on this mop?!" she said loudly.

Marty grinned and went to turn but was still held in place by the hands in his hair. "Cynthia Anne Peterson, you let go of me right now!" he mock yelped. Cindy complied and he turned to grab her in a huge hug. He hadn't seen her in forever and had been hoping she was working today when he realized where they were. This way he could combine business with a nice visit. The two grinned at each other until interrupted by Mrs. Shelton clearing her throat.

Cindy turned to her and smiled. "It's so nice to see you again, Mrs. Shelton. Susie should be done with her current client in just a moment and will be ready for you. I'll be doing Meaghan today."

Laura Shelton did not return her smile. She wanted to know why the hairdresser knew the scruffy detective protecting her daughter and she didn't want Meaghan to get any ideas about odd colors in her hair for tonight. "Just how do you know Detective Deeks, Ms. Peterson?" she said stiffly.

Cindy looked at the woman who was currently looking down her nose at her and stifled her iniital response to smack the woman. They had plenty of customers like this who thought they were so much better than everyone else and she usually ignored them. This time, however, it was Marty the woman was talking down about and she was not ready to let this go. "Marty saved my life." she said simply.

"How is that? Did he save you from some criminal?" asked Laura. Kensi looked interested as well. She wanted to know exactly how well her partner knew this attractive woman in front of them.

"No. He wasn't a cop at the time. He was my Public Defender. I was seventeen and broke. I needed money to eat so I stole some jewelry from a local store. I got caught and the owner pressed charges. Marty was my lawyer and got the owner to drop the charges if I agreed to come in and help out at the store to pay him back. He was the only one who asked me what I wanted to do with my future. I was embarrassed at first but he finally got me to admit what I wanted. When I told him it was to go to beauty school, he got a friend who owned one to allow me to attend for free if I cleaned up after hours each day. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him." she pointed around at the upscale hair salon.

Marty snorted. "You're here because you married the boss's son."

"Who also wouldn't be here if not for you! " she retorted, refusing to let him deflect what she and Chris owed him.

"Wait, Detective Deeks was your Public Defender?" asked Laura, clearly confused.

"Yes, Mrs. Shelton. I am fully licensed to practice law in the state of California." Marty replied.

"Hhmmpf. And Nevada. And New York!" Cindy interjected.

"Nevada, Deeks?" asked Kensi, not having ever heard him say that he was licensed anywhere but here.

"Sure! Vegas baby!" he quipped back.

"New York?" she asked, waiting to see what he could come up with for that.

"Well, Ray got into some trouble there and I couldn't represent him if I weren't licensed in New York so I filed the paperwork, sat the bar, passed and that was that." was his quieter reply.

"So you were licensed in both New York and Nevada, as well as California." stated Laura, wanting to be sure she had the information correct.

"Still am, ma'am." he said.

"Apparently, there's more to you than meets the eye, Detective Deeks." Laura stated.

He looked her in the eye. "That's often true of everyone, ma'am." She looked at him open mouthed, not sure if she had just been insulted, rebuked or he was just stating a fact.

Turning away, he asked Cindy "Speaking of Chris, how is he doing? "

"He's doing well. Which you would know if we saw you more often than every few months." she responded, punching him lightly in the shoulder. "You planning on being around for your nephew's birth?"

He grinned. "You know I am!"

Kensi looked at the woman's stomach. It was hard to tell she was pregnant under the smock but, now that she knew what to look for, she could see the gentle swell of her belly. Her relief that came from knowing the woman was married and expecting a child with her husband, was all out of proportion for the feelings she would admit to for her partner.

"When are you due Cindy? Sounds like you know it's a boy?" she asked.

"Three more months and Martin Christopher Peterson will be making his debut!" Cindy replied, gently running her hand over her stomach.

"Uh, Martin? I don't think so. The three of us need to have a chat about what name you plan on hanging on any nephew of mine!" Deeks said.

Cindy just stuck out her tongue at him. Then she grinned "Oh! The band's playing tonight! Why don't you come by and see everyone? We can catch up and then talk about names."

"I'd love to but I have to work tonight. " Deeks started. "Why don't I…"

Suddenly he was interrupted by Meaghan. "Wait, wait, wait! Are you talking about Chris Peterson, lead singer and guitar for Vivid Dreams?" she named another popular local band.

"Yup! That's my Chris!" Cindy replied proudly.

Meaghan obviously wanted to talk more but just then Susie came out to claim Mrs. Shelton for her appointment. The rest of the afternoon went quickly and peacefully, if you didn't count the nail salon employee's talking about how hot Deeks was in Russian and Kensi responding in the same language, almost coming to blows with the three women. He still had no idea what had transpired and Kensi wasn't talking.

Arriving back at the Shelton home, no one was sure who was happiest that that was over with.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Once back at the Shelton home, mother and daughter went up to their rooms to prepare for the evening. The agents and Deeks were also shown to rooms they could change in. They checked in with OSP to see if there were any updates. According to Eric and Nell, the Department of Energy had found nothing yet, but did have a promising lead. That meant their attendance at the cotillion was still necessary. Sam was able to wear his naval dress uniform and was probably the only one not uncomfortable with the restrictive clothing they were now dressed in. The four of them met in the hallway and looked each other over. It was unanimously decided that they looked sleek and elegant, although Deeks proclaimed he was the best looking of them all, insisting on saying "Bond, James Bond" all the way down the stairs.

They made their way to the drawing room where they had been told to wait for the family. The Admiral was already there, attired, like Sam, in his dress uniform. He looked at the four of them as they entered, approving the way they looked. Even the scruffy detective had cleaned up nicely. Although, after having a discussion with his wife while they dressed, the way he connected with Meaghan so quickly and the comments from Agent Hanna earlier that day, he was not as dismissive of the man as he had been. He wondered why a man licensed to practice law in three states was a police detective and how he had come to be working with NCIS without being an actual agent. He decided it was the detective's business and he would not question him. He would, however, try to make up for judging him that morning.

"Drinks, Agents? Detective?" he asked, smiling at all of them, making sure to include Deeks. Something he realized the detective noticed immediately and appreciated. So, he was observant as well. Maybe that's why he was able to reach Meaghan while her parents hadn't succeeded. He started to wonder if he should pull the detective aside and humbly ask for pointers, when the door opened again and his wife and daughter entered. He stared at the two loves of his life and thought he had never been prouder. His wife was always put together and beautiful, but tonight she had outdone herself. As for Meaghan, he had no words. He was so used to her running around the house in jeans and t-shirts, that the young woman standing in front of him, dressed in the floor length gown, her hair swept up in some complicated fashion, took his breath away. He moved towards them, taking his wife's hand in his and raising it to his lips for a kiss. She looked a little flushed and he realized that, lately, he had been so wrapped up in his work that he hadn't taken the time to tell her how much she meant to him. That would be changing.

Turning to Meaghan, he reached out and brushed the back of his hand down her cheek. "When did my baby grow up into such a beautiful young woman?" he asked softly. She blushed furiously and looked away but he was pretty sure she was happy with the compliment. He smiled; maybe this threat against them would have a positive outcome. He doubted that they would have had the quiet afternoon they had had, if not for the agents and detective being on the premises, reminding them that something bad could happen at any moment. He shook his head, he was starting to get maudlin and this was a night for celebration. He went to the wet bar and poured his wife's favorite wine and a sparkling water for his daughter. Both smiled widely at him when he presented them with the drinks. The NCIS team looked at each other with smiles; they wondered if the family even remembered they were there.

After exchanging pleasantries for half an hour, it was time to go. They would all be going in a limousine the Admiral had ordered for the occasion. Even though there were four more people than originally expected, the car still held all of them easily. The original driver had been replaced for the evening with another NCIS agent. The drive to the Grand Long Beach was uneventful. This time Sam and Callen exited the car first, making sure there were no apparent threats before letting the Admiral and his family out. They entered the ballroom and were astounded by how beautiful everything was. The Shelton family was greeted by the event planner and moved away from the NCIS team. Callen and Sam went left, Kensi and Deeks right, looking for anything out of place. Hetty had had the place swept by NCIS earlier in the day, but they wanted to be sure that nothing had been brought in since. Meeting back at the entrance, all reported nothing out of the ordinary. They stood around until guests started to arrive. Each agent took up the best position to keep an eye on their assigned Shelton.

Waiters moved through the crowd with food and drink. The appetizers were delicious and several times the others had heard Kensi moan over the comms. Sam and Callen had laughed at her, but the moans bothered Deeks more than he wanted to let on. How he wished he could have some of the champagne that kept being offered to him. He forced himself to keep his eyes on Meaghan and away from the spectacular vision his partner presented. Once the food and drink were done, the band started to play. He recognized the classical piece being played and hummed a little. Watching, he couldn't help but noticed that Meaghan and several of her girlfriends were standing in a clump eying the boys standing across the room who were nervously looking anywhere _but_ at the girls. The only people dancing were a few older couples and they were just shuffling around the flour. He met Meaghan's eyes and noticed that they were filled with unshed tears. Her party was just as lame as she'd feared and her friends were bored. Over the comms, he said to his team "This is like every awkward school dance I ever went to!" The others murmured their agreements.

He continued to look at Meaghan and then made up his mind. He'd given the others plenty of ammunition against him today, why not add one more item to the list? He walked over to Meaghan, placed his left arm behind his back, bowed and held out his right hand. She looked at him in surprise and then put hers in it. Raising it to his lips, he kissed it and said "May I have the honor of this dance Miss. Shelton?" Meaghan blushed and looked over at her friends. They were all staring at Marty with huge eyes, looking like they'd never seen a man in a tux before. She even saw Valerie unconsciously lick her lips, making her want to giggle. She turned back to him with a question in her eyes. She had learned to dance but had never done so in public. She had no idea if the detective could dance. She took a breath and decided to trust him; he hadn't let her down yet today.

Together they moved out onto the dance floor just as the current song ended. He bowed to her once more and held up his left hand. She placed her right hand in the one proffered and her left hand on his right shoulder as she'd been taught. He smiled down at her, understanding her nerves but willing her to relax. The next song started and he swung her into the rhythm of the music. His team and the Sheltons watched in amazement as the detective moved his dance partner around the floor in a perfect waltz. Their movements attracted the attention of the rest of the guests and the few who had been on the floor left, content to stand on the sidelines and watch the handsome young man and the guest of honor float around the room.

When the music ended, he released her hand and bowed again. She curtseyed but then giggled. He looked at her, trying hard not to laugh in return, not wanting to spoil her moment. He escorted her back to her friends and moved out of the way. Admiral Shelton took his place and moved his daughter onto the floor. This time others joined them and the party picked up. Later on, the Admiral surprised his daughter by asking the band to play whatever rock music they could for his girl. It hadn't been the plan but he wanted to give her something that would make her realize he only wanted for her what she wanted. He would have to pay later than night when Laura would undoubtedly scold him for turning the cotillion into a travesty, but it would be worth it. He watched Meaghan and her friends dancing out on the floor and was surprised when Laura appeared in front of him with her hand out. "Wanna dance, sailor?" she asked. He grabbed her hand and took to the floor.

Later, when the party was finally winding down, Callen received a call from Ops. The Department of Energy had tracked down who had sent the pictures and threat to the Admiral. It was a local Al Qaida cell hoping to get the whereabouts of all of the Navy's ships. The men weren't too bright and had left fingerprints all over the photos. They were all in custody and the Sheltons were safe. The ride back to the mansion was much merrier than the ride to the cotillion. The night had gone remarkably well, the threat was over and the older Sheltons were a little tipsy from too much champagne. Meaghan watched her parents in amazement as they cuddled and cooed on the bench seat of the limo. She turned to Marty with raised eyebrows. He just grinned at her and shrugged his shoulders.

Arriving at the house, the Sheltons gave the NCIS team their heartfelt thanks for keeping them safe. The team went up to the same rooms to change back into their street clothes. When they came down, Meaghan gave Marty a big hug and tried to fight back the tears. Deeks lifted her chin and asked "What's the matter sweetie?"

She sniffled and said "I'll never see you again!"

He pulled her aside, out of the earshot of his team and her parents. "I'll leave you my cell number. Meaghan, you have to promise me something!"

She nodded her head. "Sure!" Happy that he wanted to keep in touch with her.

"These clubs that the bands play at. I know they're all 21 or older. I can only assume you are getting in with a fake ID?" he asked.

She gulped and nodded. "I was 16 once myself and I know nothing I say will stop you. What I can ask you is that you promise me these simple things. 1) you'll never leave the club with anyone other than your friends, no matter what is promised you, 2) never leave your drinks alone while you dance, if you do, throw it away when you get back, 3) never take a drink from anyone that you didn't see the bartender pour and 4) never go to the ladies room alone, force one of your friends to go with you. Do the same for them. From what I saw tonight, your folks love you very much. If you get into trouble, call them. If you feel you just can't, then call me and we'll handle it together. If you can promise me these things, I'll introduce you to the guys from Rocking Bars _and_ Vivid Dreams." he said, handing her his card.

She looked at him with round eyes "Really? You'll really introduce me to them?"

He nodded yes but held up a finger "With your parent's permission."

She looked over at her mom and dad and then back at him. "I can live with that." The NCIS team said their goodbyes and headed out to their cars. It was late and they all wanted to get home. Sam was dropping Callen off on his way home and Kensi would drop off Deeks. The clothes would be returned to the Mission Monday.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The ride to Deeks's apartment was quiet. He had tried a half dozen times to get Kensi to talk but she only gave one word answers or grunts. He finally gave up, knowing that she would talk to him in her own good time. She pulled up in front of his building and he grabbed up his stuff. "Thanks for the ride, Fern." he said. She smiled and simply wished him good night. He watched as she drove away. He went over the day in his mind and tried to figure out when he might have upset her. Nothing stood out. He unlocked his door to be greeted by Monty who desperately needed to go out. He put the bag with his tux, shirt and shoes over the back of the couch, grabbed the leash and took the dog down to the beach. It was a nice warm night and the beach wasn't as empty as it usually was at this time of night. He listened to the waves crash on the shore as Monty ran back and forth, expending his pent up energy from being locked inside for so long. Knowing he didn't have to get up the next morning for work, he stretched and thought about the weekend looming in front of him, so full of possibilities. He figured Kensi would get over whatever it was that was bothering her and they would spend the weekend together as usual, eating bad take out, walking Monty on the beach and watching cheesy movies on television. He smiled, wondering when these kinds of weekend plans filled him with happiness instead of boredom.

He whistled for Monty and the two of them headed home. Heading up the stairs, he noticed the silver SRX parked across the street. He frowned, looking around for Kensi but she was nowhere to be seen. He continued to his apartment and unlocked the door. Stepping in, he found his partner sitting on his couch, her feet up on his coffee table, eating out of the container of Rocky Road he kept for her in the freezer. She had Titanic playing on his DVD system. He grinned at her, figuring she was over whatever mad she had been chewing on while driving home from the Sheltons. She frowned at him in return, still saying nothing. His own smile faltered as he realized he must be in bigger trouble than he had thought.

"Kens, what's wrong? What did I do to upset you?" he asked as he plopped down on the couch next to her.

She stared at him and finally asked "When did you learn to dance the waltz? When Hetty tried to make us dance together, you were all left feet. You kept stepping on me and making me feel ridiculous, talking about me in a bikini. Could you dance then? Were you just making fun of me?"

He shook his head. This was so not what he expected her to be mad about. He gathered his thoughts and decided he would just tell her the truth. "I've known how to waltz since college. When I was trying to make extra money to pay the bills as an exotic dancer, I had no idea what to do. One of the girls took pity on me and would teach me how to dance after work. We started with the basics like the foxtrot and worked our way up to the waltz, she helped me learn how to move to the music so that I could use it in my routine. Like me, she was just working there to make ends meet. Her folks were dancers, had won all kinds of ballroom dancing contests and ran a small studio in Oregon. She grew up dancing but wanted to be an actress. She was in L.A., like so many others, convinced she had what it took to make it. We became good friends. Even after I graduated, I kept up with it as I found I really enjoyed moving around the dance floor like that. Eventually she realized she was never going to be the next Meryl Streep and settled down with a good guy. They have a family now and she owns her own dance studio. I go there every once in a while to catch up with them and to practice the dances she taught me, as well as to learn a few more. I'm sorry if I made you feel ridiculous, that was never my intention. I just didn't want to have the guys riding me. They're on me for enough as it is." He wound down and risked a look at her face. She was still frowning but seemed to be processing what he had told her.

"Why?" she asked.

Confused, he asked "Why what?"

"Why do you always let everyone think you can't do things? You sing off key, play horrible air guitar, pretend that you can't waltz or even just dance reasonably well on the floor at whatever club we go to. Why is that what you let everyone see? Because you know what I saw today? I saw someone who could play the violin like an angel, could dance like he was on a cloud and could make a young girl put away the ever present cellphone and talk to you. Why is _that_ not the you we get to see more often?" she asked.

He looked at her, not sure how to answer. Finally he said "I guess it's just become a bad habit to let people underestimate me. It's what kept me alive during all those years of undercover work at LAPD with no one to watch my back. When I was in grade school, anyone who found out I played the violin would tease me unmercifully. I learned to hide it if I didn't want to be beaten up. Playing the violin in Reseda is not exactly the way to keep safe on the streets. Eventually I started to play the guitar, using the skills I learned with the violin. That was much more acceptable in my neighborhood. You know I was in a band in high school. What I didn't tell you was that we were actually pretty popular and not half bad. It never went anywhere. Two of the guys in the band were gunned down by the Southland Kings. One of them I mentioned to you when we were trying to figure out why Ray went rogue after we faked his death. I kind of lost interest after that. To tell the truth, I was pretty surprised that I could still remember the Moonlight Sonata. When Meaghan handed me her violin, I almost lied and told her I had made it all up. It was like she was expecting it and I didn't want to let her down so I played. I guess it's like riding a bike, once you learn how you never really forget. As for the dancing, it has its origins in something I had to do that I found humiliating. When Hetty tried to force us, I reacted out of instinct and protected myself."

He looked over at her and was pleased to see the frown was gone. Her face had softened and she was smiling slightly. Taking her feet off the coffee table, she moved in to snuggle up to him. "Will you do something for me Deeks?" she asked.

"Anything Kensalina." he responded immediately, pulling her in closer to his side.

"Will you play for me again? Sometime very soon? And will you take me with you when you go visit your dance studio friend?" she asked quietly.

He hesitated, thinking of the small black case hidden in the back of his closet. For her, he would do it. Maybe things had changed enough for him that he could start to enjoy making music again. If he started taking her dancing with him, could her presence replace the feelings he had about it with more positive memories? He was willing to give it a shot. "Sure Princess. I can do both of those. I think we can even start this weekend. You have any plans?" he said.

She leaned back and looked at him, then smiled a huge smile. "Just my regular weekend plans. I think I can modify them a little."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N – This was not part of the original story but I had several people ask for an epilogue and that started me thinking. This is the result. I can't believe it ended up being three additional chapters! Hope you like it! Please let me know either way.

Thanks to everyone for their reviews so far!

Special thanks to OhBuddy66 for the encouragement and suggestions about Hetty and Meaghan! They were great and I shamelessly used them!

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Chapter 7

Deeks woke to the smell of doggy breath. He opened his eyes to stare into Monty's. He'd swear the dog seemed to be laughing at him. He moved a little and was rewarded by a grunt in his ear. Looking down he found an arm slung across his waist, his partner wedged in behind him on the couch, sound asleep. He sighed. They'd fallen asleep on the couch _again_. At least the television was off this time. Monty pawed at him, dragging his attention away from Kensi and back to him.

"You need to go out Monty?" he asked quietly. The dog woofed gently and headed towards the door, looking back over his shoulder as if to say "Hurry!" Deeks gently extricated himself from Kensi's arm and got up off the couch. She mumbled something and snuggled back in, taking up more of the couch now that he was gone. Smiling he padded into his bedroom and dug out a pair of flip flops. Moving quietly through his living room, he snatched up the leash and hooked it to Monty's collar. Opening the door, he looked back at Kensi, wondering that the sight of a woman, _this_ woman, sleeping on his couch could fill him with such contentment. He closed the door silently behind him.

Kensi's eyes opened the moment she heard the door snick closed. She'd woken when Deeks had asked Monty if he wanted to go out but hadn't wanted him to know, pretending to still be asleep. Now that he was gone, she had a mission. He always took Monty to the beach so she figured she had a good 15-20 minutes before he was back. Getting up, she headed towards his bedroom, knowing she was going snooping but feeling no remorse. He snooped around her apartment, as evidenced by his comments a couple weeks ago about the 'girly' magazines under her sink in the bathroom. Yes, this might be a bit more snoopy than that, but that wasn't going to stop her. Last night, when she'd asked him about playing the violin for her, his eyes had flicked unconsciously towards his bedroom and she was sure she'd find said violin in there somewhere.

She entered the bedroom and went straight to the closet. She had always envied him this closet. It was deep and long and while he used most of it for storage, she would have filled it with clothes and shoes. She figured this would be the most likely place she would find what she was looking for. She opened the doors and was momentarily side tracked by the sight of his clothes hanging there. She reached out and ran a hand down the sleeve of one of his shirts, her favorite one. Realizing she was wasting time, she started to dig into the back, moving boxes that were neatly stacked and marked. She grinned; he was so neat and organized, a marked contrast to his shaggy hair and scruff. Moving one more stack of boxes, she found what she was hunting for. Sitting all the way in the back were two music cases. The smaller one was obviously the violin but she pulled them both out and placed them on his bed. She then sat to wait for him and Monty to return.

Deeks opened his front door expecting to find Kensi still asleep where he had left her. The couch was empty. The bathroom door was open so he knew she wasn't in there. He went into the kitchen, after taking the leash off Monty and hanging it back in its place, figuring he'd find her rummaging through his cabinets for something to eat. He kept several boxes of pop tarts just for her. Monty followed, wagging his tail. Not finding Kensi there either, he started to wonder if she'd gone home. He hadn't noticed whether the SRX was still outside or not.

"Kens?" he called out.

"In the bedroom!" was the response. Well, at least she hadn't left without a word but what was she doing in his bedroom? He quickly poured some kibble in Monty's dish and left the dog happily chowing down. He paused in the doorway to the bedroom, taking in the sight of her sitting on his bed before realizing what was on it beside her.

"What…? You snooped!" he exclaimed. She just grinned back at him unrepentantly. "Why would you do that Kensi?" not smiling back at her.

Her smile dimmed a little and she started to explain. "I was afraid you'd try to put off playing for me again. I wanted to be sure you didn't get the chance. Deeks, you played so beautifully and I just wanted to hear more. I never thought I would enjoy listening to classical music on the violin, but your playing made me feel….just made me feel!"

Now he smiled back at her, taken by the sincerity in her voice. "I told you I'd play for you Fern. I meant it. I just didn't think it would be at 8 AM on a Saturday morning! The surf is awesome! I figured we could go hit the beach for a few hours."

"I'll go to the beach with you later if you play for me now." she bargained.

Sighing he made his way over to the bed. He ran a hand over the smaller case holding the violin. Opening it carefully, he pulled the instrument out for the first time in years. He gently plucked the strings and, as expected, found it very out of tune. Putting it to his chin, he carefully tuned it. Looking up, he found Kensi watching every movement of his fingers, fascinated. Once the violin sounded right to his ears, he drew the bow across the strings once and then launched into Moonlight Sonata again, watching her eyes widen as his fingers moved up and down the fingerboard, her mouth dropping open slightly. He closed his eyes and leaned into the music, losing touch with the room around him, but always knowing she was there.

When he was done, he opened his eyes and met hers. "That was beautiful Deeks! Play something else!" Deciding to surprise her, he launched into Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven. Her mouth dropped open when she recognized the song and then she grinned, gaining a new appreciation for both the instrument and the man playing it. When he finished, he put the violin back into the case. Disappointed, she asked "You aren't going to play anymore?"

He smiled at her. "Not today Princess. I'm out of practice and need to build up my muscles and calluses again before I can play much more than a couple songs in one sitting. If you want me to, I can work towards that."

"Yes! I'd like that so much!" she quickly responded. Looking over at the larger case, she grinned. "How about playing me something on the guitar from your Touching Wood days?" Laughing he opened the other case and pulled out the acoustic guitar, an instrument that saw the light of day more often than the violin. Knowing it was in tune, as he taken care of that just a couple weeks ago, he sat on the bed next to her and rested it on his lap.

"Any requests?" he asked. She shook her head no. Thinking about it, he decided on one of his favorites and played the opening chords to Turn the Page by Bob Seger. He began to sing quietly while he played, pleased when she joined in. When he finished the last chord, he looked over at her and said "Not quite techno music but you seemed to know all the words!"

"I love that song!" she said, smiling widely. She put her hand on his arm and said "I think you earned your beach time surfer boy!" Grinning back at her, he stood up and put the guitar back in its case. Picking up both cases he put them back in the closet. She noticed immediately that he placed them at the front, not hidden away in the back like before. She had a feeling that she would be getting serenaded again before too long. Maybe she could talk him into teaching her some basics.

Coming back to the bed, he grabbed her hand and pulled her up. "You left a bikini here last time, Sugar Bear. I'll let you have the bedroom to change and I'll use the bathroom, unless you don't mind sharing?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows at her suggestively. She punched him in the arm in response. Laughing, he turned and rummaged in the dresser, pulling out her bikini and handing it to her, then grabbing his board shorts. "Last chance." he said, walking slowly out of the bedroom. She slammed the door shut as her answer, laughing.

They spent hours on the beach, surfing, swimming, sun bathing, enjoying each other's company. They bought lunch from one of their favorite food trucks and devoured it. They finally headed back to his place when the sun started to set, stopping for take out on the way. After showering, they settled in to eat and have another movie marathon. Neither questioned whether they would spend the time together or not, it just was, like most weekends.

Around 11:30 his cell rang, startling him out a doze on the couch, Kensi's head in his lap, snort snoring, though she insisted she did NOT snore. Picking up the phone, he recognized the number. Answering it, he said "Marty Deeks."

"Marty? Oh thank God you answered! We need help Marty! I'm so scared."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Hearing Meaghan Shelton's scared voice, Deeks sat up straight, waking Kensi. "Sweetie, what's the matter?" he asked, eliciting a frown from his sleepy partner. He mouthed "Meaghan" at her. She sat up, instantly awake and now worried about the young girl.

"Where are you Meaghan? What's going on?" he asked.

"We're at a club, The Keen on Santa Monica. We heard Vivid Dreams was playing tonight and wanted to see them. We were having a great time until these three older guys started trying to buy us drinks and wanting to dance with us. They won't leave us alone or let us leave. We talked to the bouncer but he knows these guys and won't do anything. We went into the bathroom to get away from them. Marty, we don't know what to do! You said I could call you any time and you'd come. Please come Marty, please!" Meaghan sobbed into her phone.

"Kensi and I are on our way Meaghan. You stay in that bathroom until we get there. Kensi will come in and get you. Who are you with?" he said, moving around the living room as he spoke, shoving his feet into his shoes. Kensi did the same and held up the keys to the SRX, motioning towards the door. Still on the phone, he moved with her through the door, locking it behind him.

"Valerie is here with me."

"Ok sweetie, you stay there and don't let her out of your sight. Did you call your folks? Do they know where you are?"

"No. I told them I was staying at Val's tonight. Val's folks think she's staying with me. You know that we've been to clubs before to see bands and we've never run into this kind of trouble! My parents are going to kill me! Things were going so well after the party last night. I've ruined it all! "

"Sweetie, they love you. They may be angry and there will be consequences but you guys will work it out. You need to be honest with them and apologize. If you act like an adult, they'll treat you like one. You can't lie and sneak around."

Meaghan sniffled again. "I know. Can you stay on the phone with me until you get here?"

"Absolutely. You know, I was going to suggest meeting the guys in Vivid Dreams next weekend. I guess you pushed the agenda up." This time he was rewarded with a watery giggle.

Kensi drove as fast as she could, breaking several traffic laws along the way, while Deeks stayed on the phone with Meaghan, keeping her calm and letting them know the two girls were still okay. Thankfully, there wasn't as much traffic at this time of night. Turning onto Santa Monica she screeched to a halt in front of the club, throwing the car into park. The two of them piled out of the car, Kensi yelling at the valet "Federal Agents! Leave the car where it is!" Deeks let Meaghan know they were here and hung up.

They bypassed the long line of people still waiting to get into the club and ran up to the bouncer who was checking the guest list and monitoring who got in. Kensi reached for her badge when Deeks said "TJ, we need to get in to find some friends of ours. It's an emergency!"

"Hey Marty, figured you'd show up here at some point to see Chris play. What's the emergency? Can I help?" the bouncer asked as he undid the rope to allow them into the building.

"Thanks man, but I think we got this covered. Don't be surprised if three guys come hightailing it out of here shortly. My partner and I are going to be having a very serious talk with them." Deeks replied as he and Kensi ran by him, intent on getting in and finding the girls. TJ watched them disappear into the club and then shrugged. He trusted Marty and knew that, whatever was happening, he would deal with it with a minimum of fuss. He turned back to the line just in time to catch some wannabe trying to slip past him while his attention was elsewhere. TJ just grabbed him by the collar and put him back in line with a glare. This guy was going to the bottom of the list.

Familiar with the club from the many times he'd come here to see bands play, Deeks led the way to the ladies room. He stopped at the door and Kensi went in, spotting Meaghan and her friend immediately. Meaghan sobbed when she saw Kensi and ran into her arms. "I'm sorry we caused all this trouble! I'm so glad to see you Kensi!" Kensi rubbed her back and looked at Valerie, who was crying quietly. She opened her arms to her and Valerie rushed in. Kensi held both girls tightly; glad they were safe but so angry that they had taken such a chance. They weren't ready to deal with the kind of guys who trolled these clubs. Both girls were going to get some self-defense lessons as soon as she could arrange it.

She pulled away and asked "Are you both okay?" She was rewarded with two shaky smiles and nods. "Let's get out of here. Deeks is waiting right outside, he's frantic with worry about the two of you. Before we leave, I want you to point out these guys to us. We're going to be having a little chat with them." The girls took one look at her face and decided they were glad Kensi was on their side.

Deeks was pacing outside the ladies room, earning him some weird looks from women heading in. He ignored them, wondering what the hell was taking so long. The door opened and Kensi walked out with the two shaken teenagers. Meaghan immediately went into his arms for a hug. He looked at Kensi questioningly and she nodded that the girls were okay. He sighed and pushed Meaghan back a little. "You and I are going to have a serious discussion about this young lady!" She nodded and hung her head. "I shouldn't reward either one of you but, as long as we're here, why don't we go backstage and I'll introduce you two to Chris and the guys?" Both girls forgot their trauma in the excitement of what he had just said. "First, I want you to point out these three guys to Kensi and me." They nodded, remembering the look on Kensi's face in the rest room.

They headed back towards the dance floor with the girls in front. They didn't have to point the men out as they were already moving in on the two girls, not realizing Deeks and Kensi were with them. Both stayed quiet and let them come. These guys weren't going to know what hit them. The largest of the three said to the girls aggressively "We were wondering where you two went. Thought you ran out on us, you little teases!" as he reached out to grab Meaghan's arm.

Deeks stepped between them. "I don't think she's interested man. "

The guy looked him up and down, seeing what most people did, lanky beach bum who wouldn't know how to fight to save his soul. His two buddies came up and flanked the man, who was obviously the leader of this little pack of jackals. "Mind your own business or you won't be walking out of here. Understand me, _man_?"

Deeks nodded and said "Oh, I understand plenty. I understand you guys have been bullying and threatening these two girls here. And by girls, I mean 16 year olds. Jail bait, if you get my drift. Back off now or you're all going to end up in jail." he moved his shirt out of the way to display his badge. He felt his partner move to his side as she held up her badge to them as well.

"Federal agent. If we ever hear of you guys threatening anyone at any club in L.A., you are going to regret being born. We will tear apart your lives and leave you with nothing but scraps. _You_ understand _me,_ man?" she said fiercely. The three men started to back away, mumbling apologies. Once at a safe distance, like most bullies, they turned tail and ran, walking quickly to the exit and disappearing into the night.

"That's my girl!" said Deeks, earning him a frown from all three females. "Uh, that's my woman? Nope, that doesn't sound right either. That's my partner! That works, right?" The three of them looked at each other and shrugged, deciding to let him off the hook. After all, he had come riding in to save the damsels in distress, albeit with an amazon warrior at his side.

Meaghan licked her lips and took a chance. "So, you mentioned something about introducing Val and me to the guys in the band?"

Deeks grinned at her. "I will if you call your folks first. Tell them where you really are. You don't necessarily need to let them know you got into trouble, but they need to know where you are."

"Can I call them after we meet the guys?" she asked, pretty sure her folks wouldn't let her stay here long enough to spend any time with the band.

"Nope." he responded, popping the p. "Call them now, tell them where you are, that you're with me and Kensi and that we'll be bringing you BOTH home shortly."

Meaghan sighed, knowing she didn't have a choice. She pulled out her phone and called home. Her mom answered, her voice rough with sleep. "Meaghan? What's the matter?"

"Um, mom. I'm so sorry. I lied to you and dad. Val and I went to a club where we are now. Marty and Kensi are here." she tacked on the last quickly, hoping it would help mitigate the lecture she was sure was about to start.

"Put him on the phone, Meaghan." her mom said. This scared her more than a fight. Marty and Kensi were now going to be in the middle of this and all they'd done was come to help her. Silently she handed the phone to him.

"Mrs. Shelton?" Deeks said.

"Tell me what happened, Detective Deeks. I'm assuming my daughter and her friend snuck into the club, got into some kind of trouble and called in the cavalry in the form of you and Agent Blye?"

"Uh, that about covers it."

Mrs. Shelton sighed. Since yesterday they had seen the Meaghan she used to be. Funny and happy, not dark and unreachable. It seemed like the team sent to protect them from the threat had switched something back on inside her little girl. She didn't want to back slide. "How do you want to play this Marty?" calling him by his name for the first time.

Deeks looked at the two girls. "Would you mind if we stay here a bit longer? I want to introduce the two of them to some good people. Kensi and I will watch over them and bring them home directly after."

"Put Meaghan back on." he handed the phone back to the young girl.

"Mom?"

"Meaghan Jean Shelton, you are in such trouble. For tonight, I'll let you stay there for a while longer, as long as you do _exactly_ what Marty tells you to. Tomorrow, we are going to have a long discussion to determine your punishment, both for lying to us and for putting yourself in harm's way. Do you understand me?"

"Yes. Mom?"

"What Meaghan?"

"I love you."

There was silence on the phone for a second. "I love you too baby!" she heard.

It sounded like her mom was crying. She would ask her why when they had their talk tomorrow. Right now, she and Val were going to meet the band! She handed the phone back to him one last time, knowing he would want to hear that they could stay directly from her mother.

"They can stay for a short time Marty. We'll see you when you bring them home. Oh, and Marty? Thank you!"

"You're welcome Mrs. S." giving her a nickname like he did with everyone else. He heard her laugh as she hung up the phone. She was coming to like the scruffy looking detective.

"We're on! Let's go meet Chris and the rest of the band." he said. He moved towards the backstage area with the women following him. Everyone who worked there seemed to know him. They stopped several times to talk with various employees and clients of the club. Suddenly, when something Meaghan had said popped into his head, he stopped and turned to her. "Can you point out the bouncer who wouldn't help you?"

The girls nodded and looked around the club. "That's him over there." Valerie said, finding him first. Deeks looked at the guy carefully, he didn't recognize the man so he was probably new. He'd be having a chat with TJ on the way out. Chances are this guy would be looking for a new job tomorrow.

Smiling at the girls, he led them backstage and introduced them to the guys. Chris was ecstatic to see him, telling him that Cindy was going to be mad she'd missed him. She had been there last night but was home tonight, taking it easy. He promised Chris that he would call her and make plans to get together soon. Chris had eyed Kensi and told Deeks to bring her along. They spent an hour hanging with the band, the guys telling stories about Deeks that made the two teenagers crush on him even more. _Kensi_ wouldn't put herself in that category but she listened eagerly along with the two young girls.

Deeks finally stood up and said "We got to get going. Kens and I have to take these two home to face the music. Pun intended." They all laughed and stood up, hugs and handshakes all around. On the way out of the club, Deeks stopped to talk to TJ while Kensi lead the girls to the SRX still sitting at the curb. "TJ, you guys got a new bouncer? About 6 feet, dark red hair, looks like he pumps steroids as well as iron?"

"Yeah, Paul something or other. Why?" TJ asked. Deeks went on to explain what had happened and that Paul had refused to help the two frightened girls. TJ's face turned grim. He had a preteen daughter at home and knew he would want to hurt anyone that refused to help his little girl. "He'll be looking for a new job tomorrow, if not a few new teeth as well." he said. Deeks smiled and nodded. He knew TJ meant every word.

Heading to the car, he got into the passenger seat. "Ready ladies?" he asked. Turning to look at Meaghan and Valerie, he was surprised to see them both asleep in the back seat. He narrowed his eyes at them, not sure if they were shamming to prevent the lecture he had ready or if they were really asleep. He looked at Kensi, who shrugged. Looking back at the two girls, his face softened. They had been through enough excitement tonight, he'd let it slide….for now.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Deeks hummed as he walked into the Mission, the bag with the borrowed tux over his shoulder. He had enjoyed his weekend greatly. When he and Kensi had dropped the two girls off Saturday night, or rather Sunday morning, the Sheltons had been grateful and thanked them profusely. Mrs. Shelton had pulled them aside and asked how much trouble the girls had really gotten into. Deeks had admitted that it could have gotten bad, but stressed that Meaghan had done the smart thing, had gone into the one place she would be safe and called him. Kensi brought up her suggestion of getting the two girls self defense lessons, even volunteering to teach them herself. Mrs. Shelton had looked thoughtful and then agreed. She would discuss it with her husband and Valerie's parents. They would be talking later in the week to start the ball rolling.

The rest of the weekend had been spent hanging with his partner. He had even caved in to her request to meet Karen, the woman who had taught him to waltz. He had called his friend on Sunday and they now had an appointment for dance lessons on Wednesday evening. He actually found himself looking forward to it.

He didn't glance into the bullpen as he walked over to wardrobe to drop off the bag. If he had, he might have kept going. Thanking Sheila for checking in the clothes, he turned and found the rest of his team already at their desks, watching him, two of the three trying hard not to laugh. He frowned and walked over. "What's going on? What's so funny?"

Callen just shook his head. Sam sucked in his lips, trying to hold in his laughter. Kensi looked at him weird, not sure how he was going to take this. He put his messenger bag on his desk and pulled out his chair to find a top hat, white gloves and a walking cane resting on it. "Very funny, you guys, very funny. Just because one of us has a little class, doesn't mean you need to feel threatened." turning it back on them.

Sam opened his mouth to retort when Hetty spoke up from behind Deeks, scaring him half to death. Would he ever get used to her appearing out of thin air like that? Probably not. "Mr. Deeks. I have it on good authority that you lied to me." He turned to look at her, trying to determine what it was she was talking about.

"Am I in trouble?" he asked.

"That depends."

"On what?"

"On your performance in the gym. Everyone head there now." she made shooing motions with her hands. Honestly, it was like trying to herd cats to get this team headed in the direction she wanted them to during down time. "Oh, and Mr. Hanna, Mr. Callen? A top hat and cane, when used by a handsome, well dressed man, can be quite…intoxicating."

Callen's eyes widened and he grimaced at some image that passed through his head at her words. Sam just looked revolted. Kensi eyed the top hat, gloves and cane with interest. She decided she'd try to get Deeks to dress up and use them, just to see if Hetty was right, of course. They trooped into the gym to find Nell, Eric and, of all people, Granger, waiting for them. The mats had been cleared away and an ipod sat in a speaker on a table along the left wall of the room. Deeks had a very bad feeling about this.

"Now, Mr. Deeks. Some time ago, I tried to get you to waltz with your partner to develop trust. You stumbled around the gym like a drunken monkey, stepping on your partner's toes, mumbling something about bikinis. I've been told that you danced with the Admiral's daughter at her party and did so quite well, in fact. I would like to do this exercise again, this time with your _full_ cooperation. Am I understood?"

He sighed and nodded, looking at his team. Callen, Sam and Kensi had already seen him waltz but he now had four additional observers and he was starting to sweat a little. Hetty moved to the ipod and hit play. The strains of the Blue Danube filled the gym and Hetty said "You may begin." gesturing towards Kensi.

Smiling, he went and stood in front of their diminutive operations manager, put his left arm behind him, bowed to her and held out his hand, saying "Miss. Lange, may I have the great honor of this dance?"

Startled, she looked up at him, then smiled and said "Cheeky bugger!" but she put her hand in his and allowed him to swing her into the dance. As he led her around the floor, it should have looked comical to the others, the difference in their ages and heights being so striking. Instead the two moved in perfect unison and there was nothing remotely amusing about it. Nell, Eric and Granger, not having seen Deeks dance at the Cotillion, stood with open mouths. Nell found herself sighing and holding her hands over her heart. It was so beautiful, so romantic. She just couldn't get over the fact that it was Deeks and Hetty. The music came to an end and the two dancers faced each other. Hetty gave him a small curtsy as he bowed to her. He led her back to the others.

After a pause, the sounds of the Skaters Waltz issued from the ipod. Still smiling and feeling more confident, Deeks turned to the other bystanders and bowed to Nell. "Ms. Jones, shall we?" Nell giggled and put her hand in his. She had no idea how to waltz but she could follow. Watching him dance with Hetty, she had complete confidence in him. Again, as they moved around the room to the sound of the lovely music echoing off the walls of the gym, the watchers were impressed as Deeks moved his partner through the turns, seeming to float on air, never letting Nell falter. Kensi knew her turn was coming and felt her heart flutter in her chest. This was going to be something she remembered for a long time. The music ended once again and Deeks executed the same bow, Nell fumbling a little with her curtsy, already determined to drag Eric to dance lessons as soon as possible. By the look on Eric's face, he knew exactly what was going on in his partner-in-crime's head and, truthfully, if she didn't suggest it, he might.

Deeks looked at Kensi as he returned Nell to her original spot, their eyes locking. He hadn't been able to dance with her at the Cotillion, it would have made it hard for them to keep an eye on their respective Sheltons. It was something that he had regretted deeply and was glad he was about to remedy. The idea of holding her in his arms under the guise of the dance was irresistible. The beautiful music of Johann Stauss's The Waltz King filled the gym. He bowed to her and simply held out his hand. She put hers in it, feeling as jittery as a girl on her first date. He smiled down at her.

"Are you ready?" his words holding much more meaning than just about the dance.

She smiled up at him, her heart in her eyes and replied "Yes." the single word also meaning so much more to the two of them. Whatever this thing was between them, it was going to be resolved soon. Neither had any question in their minds on the direction they would be heading, together. He then swept her away to another world while their friends/family looked on.

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A/N - suggestions from OhBuddy66 pretty much inspired the whole of the additional chapters, including playing the violin for Kensi, Meaghan getting into trouble, meeting the band and Deeks waltzing with Hetty. Thanks again!


	10. Chapter 10

Well, here I am again. Every time I think this story is done, someone comes up with a great idea to keep it going. Hopefully, I didn't get too wordy this time. It just took on a life of its own. This has now more than doubled in size... lol. Let me know what you think!

Thanks to honus47 for the suggestion that led to chapters 10-13!

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Chapter 10

Three months later

Deeks pulled into the Mission parking area, a wide grin on his face. Last night had been one of the nights he and Kensi had agreed to take off from their relationship, to allow them some personal space. But, he'd missed her badly. He was only too glad to be heading into work so he could see her beautiful face. He thought back over the last few months. Things had seemed to shift between them after the waltz in the gym. They had started to move forward in their relationship again, culminating in Kensi lacing her fingers through his at the ice skating rink and stating she wanted to go all in with him. He had kissed her right there, several times in fact, not caring who might see them. Fortunately, none of their other team mates had been witness to their impromptu make out session. The trip to Mammoth had been one of the best of his life, even if they hadn't gotten much snowboarding in.

His grin faded a little as he remembered the day of their first official fight that had ended with this agreement to take a night off once in a while. It had started off so good, with her waking him up by softly kissing her way up his arm and then onto his back, but then, it had gone bad. Then it had gone from bad to worse to horrific. He'd tried to tease her about her friends who they had spent the previous evening with but she had been hurt by his words, something he would never intentionally do, but she teased him about his friends all the time. Things had escalated and words were said on both sides that hurt feelings. He'd been glad when both their phones rang, figuring it would be a case and they could stop this before something was said that couldn't be taken back. He would do anything to take back that thought when he heard the words that Sam had been shot and was in surgery, fighting for his life. When they'd gotten to the Mission they had found Thapa in the middle of things once again.

For whatever reason, he and Thapa had formed a connection that the others didn't share. He found the older man to be wise, philosophical, funny _and_ dangerous. It was easy to forget he could, and had, separated a man's head from his body with one stroke of his blade. The day had progressed to horrific as Thapa died on the floor of the hospital, having taken a bullet meant for Sam, while Deeks had knelt by his side, begging him to hang on. That night had been the first time he and Kensi had gone home to their own places since Mammoth. He had wanted to grieve alone and she had been happy to go her own way. He had lain on his couch for what felt like hours, trying to figure out what he could have done differently, something, anything that would have changed how events had turned out. From the perspective of hindsight, there were so many things that they could have done, but nothing would bring him back.

Making a decision, he had gotten off the couch, gone into his bedroom closet and dug around in one of the boxes marked Touching Wood. He had pulled out his old music composition notebook. This was something he hadn't done in years. At one time it had been his refuge, putting his fears, hopes, thoughts into words and setting them to music. After two of his fellow band members had been gunned down by the South Land Kings, he had not only put away his violin, but also his compositions. Since playing for Meaghan and then for Kensi, he had been taking the violin out more and more, playing for her, playing for himself. He had wondered if this old therapy of his would take away the pain he felt at the loss of someone he had considered a friend, a mentor. Sitting back down on the couch, he had written until 3:30 the next morning, putting together a rock ballad full of new found love and the grief at the sudden loss of a friend.

The work had been rough, but he'd polished it up over the next few weeks. The song required not only a guitar, but a violin. He had remembered his words to Meaghan about violins not being just for classical music and he'd incorporated movements for it into the song. Eventually, he had shown it to Chris who'd loved it and asked if his band could play it. He'd agreed, with the caveat that no one else knew the song came from him. Chris hadn't really understood why but had agreed. He didn't play the violin but the other guitarist, Brad, at least had a rudimentary knowledge. They were still practicing it, hoping to get good enough to add it to the band's repertoire. Chris had said he'd let him know when they were ready.

Things with him and Kensi were back on track, apologies made and more care taken when teasing. No one at OSP knew about them. They'd kept it quiet to prove the point that their relationship wouldn't interfere with how they did their jobs. Now, after two months of being together, they had finally decided to tell the team tonight at Studio 6, where all them were going to see Vivid Dreams play. He'd even gotten permission from Admiral and Mrs. Shelton to take Meaghan and Valerie's parents had also agreed. He _was_ looking forward to it but with some trepidation, still not sure how everyone would react. Tomorrow, they would tell Hetty who would, most likely, then tell Granger. They'd already promised each other that they would leave NCIS if either Hetty or Granger threatened to split their partnership up.

Putting the car in park, he started to get out when his phone rang. He pulled it out of his jeans pocket and smiled at the caller id. "Chris? How you doing man? I'm looking forward to tonight!" Then frowned and pulled the phone away from his ear, looking at it in confusion. Putting it back to his ear he said "Say again?"

"Marty, you gotta help me out tonight! Brad got called home to Chicago. His mom took a turn for the worse." Brad's mom had early onset Alzheimer's and was in a care facility. He often had to fly back home on the spur of the moment to help out his family. When that happened, Marty would sit in with the band to cover for him. This way they wouldn't have to cancel the gig and lose out on the money. For most of the guys, this was their only source of income. Marty had always made sure that Brad got his cut; the facility his mom was in wasn't cheap.

"Chris, I've got people coming with me tonight! I can't just leave them hanging." he responded.

"Well, if I can't find someone to take Brad's place tonight, I'll have to cancel and you won't be seeing us play anyway!" Chris lobbed back.

Deeks sighed, knowing he was trapped. "Ok, I'll do it." He wasn't sure how he was going to be able to tell Kensi they would probably need to change their plans to tell the team. Maybe they could still work something out.

Chris sighed in relief and said "Thank you! Oh, Marty? Bring your violin, we've added the song and were going to play it for you tonight as a surprise. Now the surprise is that you get to play it with us for its debut!" He hung up before Deeks could respond, not that he was sure he could have formed a coherent thought anyway. Sam and Callen had heard him play at the Sheltons, but tonight Eric and Nell would be there as well, along with Michelle and Joelle. Things were going sideways quickly. He sighed; he'd had such high hopes for today. It was time to head into the Mission and let Kensi in on the change of plans. Maybe a case would come up and he'd have to back out on Chris. Everyone else would have to cancel as well, so he wouldn't be letting anyone down except Meaghan and Valerie, and he could always find a way to make it up to them.

Suddenly, he stopped and thought. Why tell her? Why not surprise her along with everyone else? He could have Chris dedicate the song to her and let that be the way the team found out. She would find it romantic! At least, he hoped she would….


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

They'd managed to get through the day without catching a case. They had all spent the majority of their time catching up on back logged paperwork, much to the delight of Hetty. When quitting time rolled around and they were leaving the Mission, Sam said "Michelle and I'll be there at 8:30 as planned, Deeks. We're looking forward to date night!" Callen had chuckled and confirmed he and Joelle would also be there as planned. Nell then texted him the same for her and Eric, the two of them still up in ops finishing up some things of their own.

Smiling at Kensi, Deeks said "I'll pick you up at 7:30? We'll go pick up Meaghan and Valerie and then meet everyone else at the club." While they usually drove Kensi's car everywhere, if they were going to have to valet, they took Deeks's SUV. It wouldn't be good if some kid got the bright idea of snooping around in Kensi's SRX and somehow found her stash of weapons in the hidden compartment. True it was well hidden, but it was better not to take chances. She grinned and nodded, already planning what she was going to wear tonight to knock her partner/boyfriend's socks off.

Heading home, Deeks thought about how tonight was going to go. He was having second thoughts about telling the team through the song. If he'd learned one thing, it was that his partner didn't always like surprises. Sighing, he decided to split the difference, surprise her that he was playing tonight but not use it as the means to out their secret. Feeling better, he started humming as he once again began looking forward to tonight. Having played with the band before, he knew he didn't suffer from stage fright, although playing the violin in public might be a bit more difficult for him. Once home, he took Monty for a walk, showered and dressed. Locking up behind him, he stowed his violin case in the back of the SUV. It had a shelf that made it impossible for anyone to see what was in the back, so no one should be any the wiser.

Pulling up in front of Kensi's he turned the car off and went up to knock on her door, feeling like a kid on a date. The door opened and the vision in front of him said "Why didn't you just use your key? Deeks? Deeks?" He couldn't speak; she just took his breath away. He couldn't believe this knockout was with _him_. He frowned a little; already jealous of the looks he knew she would be getting at the club. Her irritable "What the hell is wrong with you, Deeks?" shook him out of his paralysis.

Grinning he said "I'm going to be the envy of every man, and quite possibly most of the women, at the club tonight!" She blushed and then smiled widely, happy that her plan to knock his socks off had worked. Reaching out, she pulled him in through the door and into her arms for a passionate kiss. He eventually pulled back, resting his forehead against hers and said "Keep that up Fern and no one will see us tonight!" She laughed, pulled out of his arms and went back into the bedroom to put on the finishing touches to her outfit and freshen up her makeup.

He held her hand all the way to the Sheltons, both of them making small talk or just enjoying comfortable silences. They pulled up in front of the mansion and had barely gotten out when the front door swung open and two very excited teenagers flew down the stairs, making a beeline for the back seat of the SUV. Both had on the Vivid Dreams t-shirts he had gotten for them from Chris. Laughing, he made his way up the wide steps, Kensi just behind him, to greet the Admiral and Laura Shelton who were watching their daughter's antics with smiles on their faces. "Admiral Shelton, Mrs. Shelton, thank you for letting the girls go with us. We promise we'll take very good care of them. We shouldn't be too late." he said, reaching out a hand to the Admiral who shook it with a smile.

He then turned to Mrs. Shelton who smiled at him as well. "I've asked you to call me Laura many times Marty. Why can't you do that for me?" Her opinion of the LAPD detective had done a complete 180.

Deeks smiled back. "I'll make more of an effort Mrs. Shel…Laura." They all laughed and the Sheltons turned to Kensi, exchanging greetings with her as well. Kensi and Deeks had both been coming out to the house on a weekly basis to teach Meaghan and Valerie self-defense. Actually, at last count there were seven girls taking lessons on Saturday morning. The Sheltons were pretty sure it was the hot detective that was the real draw, not the lessons, but it didn't matter why they were there, just that they were learning to take care of themselves, to better their chances of not becoming a victim. Laura Shelton sat in on each class, at Deeks's request. While he hated to think that it could happen, he wanted to be sure that none of the girls would ever be able to accuse him or Kensi of something inappropriate. The lessons could get a little handsy.

Laura had actually started taking the lessons herself, liking what she saw of the class the two had put together. It stressed that the girls should always take any opportunity to get away, to only fight when it was their only option. The girls had been taught how to disarm someone with a knife, how and where to hit someone to disable them so that they could get away. They had seen a change in Meaghan as the lessons progressed; she was more self-assured than she had been. Several other parents had mentioned similar changes in their daughters as well. It had been fascinating to the woman who had grown up in a very genteel environment. She had even tested some of the things they learned on John, much to his delight.

It was a measure of the trust that the detective and his partner had earned from both Sheltons, that they were allowing their underage daughter to go to a club where there would be drinking and dancing. Marty had assured them he had talked to the owner and that he was well aware of the ages of the two girls who would be in their party that evening. No one would serve them anything other than water or soft drinks. In addition, they would be under the supervision of three NCIS agents, one CIA agent and one LAPD detective. How many other teenagers could say that? They exchanged some more small talk before one of the girls leaned into the front seat and blew the horn. It was time to get this show on the road.

Laughing they said their good-byes and headed back to the car, not even noticing when their hands linked. The Sheltons noticed however. Laura looked at John, they had both seen a change in the interaction between the partners a couple months ago and had just had their suspicions confirmed. "John, are there rules against relationships between agents?"

"Not specifically, but it's kind of a given. It would depend on their management team or if they can keep it under wraps. I think we've just seen that isn't happening."

"It would be a shame, they are so well suited!" Laura pouted at her husband, running a hand down his arm.

Laughing at her, he knew exactly what she was asking. "If it comes to that, I'll throw whatever weight I have behind keeping them together. Is that what you were trying to get me to say?"

Laura leaned into him and smiled her thanks. She reached up and pulled his head down to hers for a deep kiss and then said "We're alone in the house for a few hours, my love." John kicked the front door shut and followed his giggling wife up the stairs to their room.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Deeks pulled up to the curb at Studio 6. The valet opened the door for the girls and then for Kensi. Deeks walked around the front end of the car, handing the keys to the valet who said "Hey Marty! Great to see you! You here to see Chris and the guys play tonight?"

Deeks smiled back. "You bet Tim. Hey, how did your big biology test go?"

"Aced it, man!"

Deeks laughed and pulled the young man into a hug. He whispered in his ear "There's a violin case in the back of my car. Could you grab it and bring it back to Chris? Quietly?" Tim grinned and nodded. Deeks thanked him and joined the three women waiting on him.

"Who's that?" asked Kensi.

"Tim? He's been a valet here for ages. He's going to UCLA during the day. Had a big test that he was worried about but he's smart, passed with flying colors. He's a great kid!"

He looked at Meaghan and Val, both of whom looked like they were close to tears. "Hey! Hey you two! What's the matter?" he started looking around, wondering who or what had caused such a drastic change in the teenagers.

"Marty! Do you see the line? We'll never get inside in time to see the band play! They come on in just over a half hour. It's going to take us two or three hours just to get _to_ the front door!" wailed Meaghan. Relieved, he laughed and began to usher his charges past the long line, earning some glares along the way. When they neared the front of the line, they found the rest of their party waiting. Sam and Michelle, Callen and Joelle, Eric and Nell, HETTY AND GRANGER? Deeks stopped short and took in the sight of the two of them waiting with the rest.

"Surprise!" said Nell, looking guilty.

"Hey Deeks, about time you got here. They won't let us in. I thought you said we'd have no problem?" said Sam.

Deeks just grinned at him and walked up to the bouncer guarding the rope that everyone was lined up behind, reminding Kensi of the night they had gone to The Keen to rescue Meaghan and Val. Like that night, the guy's face lit up when Deeks said "Jessie! Looking good my friend!"

Jessie smiled and pulled Deeks into a hug. "Marty, good to see you! Is this the party Barry told me you were bringing in tonight?" taking in the odd selection of people now standing behind his friend. Deeks nodded and Jessie unhooked the rope, bowing them in. Once everyone was through, he rehooked it behind them and said "Hey, just want to say thanks again Marty! Gina is so relieved to have our wills in place now that we have the baby."

Deeks smiled and said 'No problem! How are your beautiful wife and daughter?" Jessie swelled up with pride and pulled out his cell phone, proudly showing Deeks his screen saver picture of Gina and Kelly. Smiling, Deeks handed the phone back "Getting more beautiful by the day buddy! We'll probably see you on the way out later?" Jessie nodded and told them to have a good time.

Once inside, they were immediately approached by a tall, good looking black man, dressed in a beautiful Armani suit. All the women in the group, including the teenagers, watched him approach with appreciation. When he reached them, he pulled Deeks into a hug and said "Good to see you Marty! I have the best table in the place reserved for you and your guests, right in front of the stage." The man turned and looked at the group saying "I'm Barry Shorter. Any friend of Marty's is welcome at my club!"

Meaghan gaped and finally said "You own the club? How do you know Marty?"

"Yeah." said Callen. "How do you know Marty?"

Barry smiled "When I first opened this place, some guys showed up one day telling me that I had to pay a monthly fee to their boss so that nothing bad would happen to my club. I know extortion when I hear it. I told them to get the hell out and that I wouldn't pay anyone a dime. Suddenly, I'm having trouble with the permits we had already been awarded, orders for food and drink mysteriously got cancelled. I asked around and found out these guys were seriously bad news. The last person who had a business here had refused to pay even when they pulled the same stunts on him. Eventually, he was found dead in an alley, his throat cut. They all told me to just pay and deal with it as if it were any other business expense. Vivid Dreams was one of the first bands I booked to play here. I complained about the situation one night to Chris, who said he knew a cop who might be able to help. I think you can guess who that cop was?"

"Marty?" asked Val.

"Yup, it was me. I came in and met with Barry while the club was closed. I got all the info I could and went to my boss with it. He thought it sounded like something we should pursue and we came up with a plan that involved me going in undercover as Max. We ended up arresting them, not only for extortion, but also for arms trafficing and drug dealing as well. We were even able to get a confession from the guy who had killed the previous owner of this building. The whole group of them are doing serious time right now." Deeks supplied.

"Everyone with a business in this area owes Marty one." Barry said.

Deeks shook his head no. "I was only doing my job Barry."

Barry raised an eyebrow at him and sighed, obviously this was an old conversation between the two. "Come on, your table's in Cassie's area."

"Cassie? That's great!" responded Deeks. Kensi frowned at him, wondering exactly who Cassie was and why Deeks seemed so happy that she would be waiting on them. They moved as a group, but kept stalling when someone stopped Deeks to say hello or give him a hug. Finally, they reached their table. Barry pulled over more chairs as the group was larger by two than what was originally planned. He stayed and talked for a few minutes until someone informed he had a phone call. Telling them to have a good time, he informed them that drinks were on the house. Deeks protested but Barry paid no attention, just walked away.

Callen looked at Deeks and said "Is there anyone who works here that you _don't_ know, Deeks?"

Deeks laughed and started to reply "Of course, I don't know every…" but was interrupted by a tall, beautiful redhead in a scanty waitress uniform.

"Marty! Barry told me you were coming tonight and that I was to take good care of you, like I wouldn't have any way!" she pulled him out of his chair into a hug, his arms going around her, enthusiastically returning it. Kensi immediately went into fight mode, getting ready to get out of her chair and physically remove the redhead's hands from _her_ Deeks, when the woman let him go and held up her left hand. "Notice anything different?" she asked.

Deeks grinned and said "You're engaged? That's awesome! Who asked who? I want details!"

Smiling, Cassie said "Paula asked me! Oh Marty, it was so romantic! She took me out to dinner and then for a long walk on the beach. She said the most beautiful things to me about wanting to spend the rest of our lives together and then she asked me to marry her!"

Deeks kissed her on the cheek and said "Congratulations Cassie! Let Paula know how happy I am for the two of you?"

Cassie said "I will! Actually, we have a favor to ask you. Would you officiate at our wedding? After all, you were the one who introduced us!"

Deeks smiled, flattered that she had asked. "I'm not licensed to do that but I am sure I can apply for one. How soon is the wedding?"

"Oh, not for a while yet. You have plenty of time. We haven't told the parental units yet. Now, what can I get everyone?" Congratulations were said by everyone at the table and Cassie proceeded to take their drink orders, asking the girls if they would like virgin mojitos, to which they eagerly replied yes. Deeks looked at his watch and realized he would need to get backstage if the band was going to go on in time.

Standing up, he leaned over to Kensi and said "I'll be back in a bit. I just want to go back and wish Chris and the guys good luck." She nodded and went back to her conversation with Michelle and Nell. Backstage the guys were relieved to see him. They went over the playlist one last time, Deeks pleased that he knew all the songs and shouldn't have any problems.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Back at their table, Kensi looked at her watch and frowned. If Deeks didn't get back here soon he was going to miss the band coming out. Just as she finished that thought, the lights dimmed a bit as the band came out on stage. She really wasn't paying attention, still scanning the crowds for him when she heard Meaghan gasp and say "Marty!" Looking at the stage, she was stunned to see Deeks pick up one of the guitars that was waiting for them on the stage. Looking around the table, she saw the same stunned looks on everyone's face except Hetty's. The older woman was smiling smugly, looking for all the world like this was exactly what she had expected to happen tonight. Kensi wondered if she actually had expected it, why else would she have invited herself and Granger along?

Chris walked up to the mic and said "Who's ready for some rock and roll?" The crowd erupted into yells and whistles. It was obvious the band was popular. They began to play and Deeks was right in the middle of all it, playing so well that Kensi couldn't stop her grinning. That was her boyfriend up there! They played seven songs, Meaghan and Val singing along, knowing all the words to each one. When the notes from the last song faded away, Chris said "We're going to do a new song tonight. One that was written by a member of this band. We hope you like it!" He started to play his guitar and Deeks joined in on the violin. While everyone had been paying attention to Chris, Deeks had changed instruments. The haunting sounds of the violin complimented the guitar as Chris sang about love and loss. Midway through the song, it called for a solo by the violin and Deeks leaned into the music, playing with all his heart, remembering the man he had cared for, thinking about the woman he loved, sitting out there in the audience. When the solo was done, Chris seamlessly joined back in and by the end of the song, the club was mostly silent. When the last words were sung, the applause was deafening.

Kensi sat still, her mind on the words Chris had just sung. She was pretty sure that Deeks had been the one to write it. There was something about it that reminded her of him so vividly. She knew the loved one lost had been Thapa. While she had sort of liked the little man, Deeks had quickly established a deep bond with him that had surprised the rest of them. She knew how devastated he had been when Thapa had died. Looking up, her eyes met his and he smiled at her, letting her know he was good now. She smiled back, not noticing that everyone at the table was watching the silent conversation going on between the two. Callen and Sam exchanged troubled glances, if this was what they thought it was then the whole team dynamics could be thrown off, not to mention that Hetty or Granger might split the partners up if they suspected a romantic relationship between the two. Worst case scenario, it could mean Deeks going back to LAPD full time. Something neither man was willing to contemplate. Years ago, maybe, but not now. He was family and they would fight for him.

The band announced they were taking a break and would be back in half an hour. Deeks headed to the stairs closest to his friends, trying to get to them, but being stopped every few feet by someone who wanted to know who wrote the song, to talk about how beautifully he had played the violin. By the time he made it to them, he only had a few minutes left before the next set. Meaghan threw herself into his arms and said "Marty that was the best song they've ever played! You were so good! Do you know which member of the band wrote it? I loved the violin solo!"

Deeks hugged her back and said "I'm glad you liked it Meaghan! I told you violins could be played in rock and roll." Meaghan pulled back and looked at him suspiciously, wondering if he had written the song. It was too coincidental that some member of her favorite band had suddenly written a song for the violin, an instrument that had never surfaced during any of their gigs before. She opened her mouth to ask him directly but didn't get the chance as the band started to come back on stage. He said a quick good bye and headed back up, this time no one stopped him, everyone wanting the band to start playing again.

Taking their places, the band played for another hour before calling it quits. They were applauded off the stage and came back for three encores. When Deeks finally made it back to the table the second time, everyone clapped him on the back and told him how impressed they were. He asked if anyone wanted to go backstage and meet the band and was surprised when everyone took him up on it, even Granger. They made their way to the room where the band was relaxing, only being stopped one more time by Barry who had just looked at Deeks, shaken his head and walked away, leaving Deeks grinning after him.

Thankfully the room was fairly large as there were a lot of them. Meaghan and Val had the guys sign their t-shirts, practically bouncing off the walls in all their excitement. Chris pulled Deeks aside and said "That was one of our best sets ever Marty. Cindy is going to be pissed she missed it. I told her you were sitting in tonight but we couldn't get a baby sitter on that short notice." Christopher Martin Peterson had made his appearance a little over a month ago. Deeks had been able to talk them out of naming him Martin, but they had insisted on using it for the middle name. Little Chris, or LC as Deeks had immediately nicknamed him, had already wrapped the detective around his little finger. He immediately requested pictures, which Chris had plenty of on his phone. Before anyone knew it, the phone was being passed around and the baby ooohed and ahhhed over.

Looking at his watch, Deeks realized it was getting late. "Time to go Cinderellas 1 and 2. We are rapidly approaching the time where I turn into an unemployed bum because I didn't get you two home on time!" Everyone laughed and said good night to the band. Deeks picked up his violin case and they walked out of the club, he waved good bye to Cassie and stopped to say the same to Jessie, sending his love to Gina and Kelly. Exiting the building, each turned in their ticket to the valets, hearing more congratulations heaped on Deeks as rumors of the band's successful evening had filtered out to those working the outside. Callen and Joelle left first, followed by Sam and Michelle. Deeks SUV was pulled up and he placed his violin in the back once again. Meaghan and Val climbed into the backseat and were almost instantly asleep. Deeks grinned in at the sight and then turned to say good night one last time to Hetty and Granger. He was surprised when Granger held out his hand. He took it and they shook.

"It was a pleasure to hear you play Deeks. I think we need to hear more soon." he grinned at the silent detective. Deeks paused and then nodded reluctantly, but not as reluctantly as he might have before the evening's events. He turned and got into the car with the girls, pointing it towards the Sheltons home. Granger watched them drive away and turned to Hetty. "How do you find them, Henrietta?"

Hetty replied "Whatever do you mean, Owen?"

"You know darn well what I mean. Every time I think I get a handle on your pet detective, he throws me for a loop. They all seem to do that and I know you handpicked each one of them for that team. Where in the world do you find them? And what's going on between Deeks and Blye?"

"I keep my eyes and ears open, Owen, and I don't judge. Sometimes, they just find me. As for Mr. Deeks and Miss. Blye, I think we are both well aware of what is going on between them. I'm just surprised it's taken them this long. If ever two people were meant to be together, it's those two."

"We may have to split them up, Henrietta. You know, as well as I do, that romantic entanglements between partners can be hazardous. Their performances will begin to suffer and it could lead to someone getting hurt."

"Did you know that they've officially been a couple for over two months now, Owen? I've seen no degradation in their performances; in fact, they are becoming even better every single day. I also think you will meet with strong resistance from everyone in OSP, even those outside their core team."

Granger looked down at his old friend/nemesis and smiled. He was well aware how the people under Hetty Lange would react if he tried to pull that team apart. For now, he would wait and watch. If the two were able to make it work, he would support them all the way. If for one moment, it appeared that they were endangering others, he would pull the plug immediately, whether the team liked it or not. His first responsibility was to make sure the missions were completed and that everyone came home alive.

Hetty's car was brought around and she said her good byes. His car was brought up last. He tipped the valet and got in. Driving home, he found himself humming the song Deeks had performed on the violin. He had experienced the love and loss the song had spoken of. He feared the words would haunt him for days to come.

In Deeks's car, Kensi turned to check on the girls, making sure they were really asleep. Assured that they were, she took his hand in hers and asked "Why didn't you ever tell me you could write music as well as play it?"

Smiling down at her, he replied "It was something I locked away for a long time. It seemed like the only time I could produce anything was when I was hurting. It wasn't sustainable. I'm hoping that that song is the last one I will ever have to write." He brought her hand up to his lips and gently kissed the back of it. She smiled back, determined to make sure his hopes were realized.


	14. Chapter 14

Honus47 suggested this. Everyone went their separate ways on Friday night. What's the fallout on Monday?

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Chapter 14

Deeks decided to go into work early on the Monday following their Friday night outing to Studio 6 and, by early, he meant before 7. He was determined to be in his seat long before the guys had a chance to plant anything on his chair, on his desk, in his desk drawers, anywhere. When the alarm had gone off at 5 AM, Kensi had just grunted and rolled over, telling him she'd see him at the Mission at a _reasonable_ hour and proceeded to spread out into her normal starfish configuration, taking up every quadrant of the now empty bed. He'd looked at her and considered just getting back into bed, to see what mischief he could get into, but then decided to stick to his original plan. He didn't want a replay of the top hat, gloves and cane joke. This explained why he was sitting in a mostly deserted Mission at 7:15 on a Monday morning, with nothing to do and no one to do it with. He was caught up on his paperwork and it was eerily quiet, even Hetty wasn't here yet. He was afraid to go into the gym or to the firing range; figuring Sam and/or Callen could sneak in at any minute.

He spun around in his chair a few times, nearly having a heart attack when Hetty appeared behind him on the third spin, she wasn't there and then she was. The woman was seriously spooky. "To what do we owe the unexpected pleasure of your early arrival, Mr. Deeks?" she asked him.

He opened and closed his mouth a few times, not sure what to say. Did he tell her he was trying to head off whatever stunt the guys had planned for him? Did he make up some excuse about wanting to get a head start on…something? Thinking quickly he came up with the perfect answer. "Ummm."

Hetty smirked at him, well aware of why their Liaison Officer was in early. She was looking forward to whatever Mr. Hanna and Mr. Callen had planned for him. "I was just about to make a pot of tea. Would you care to join me?"

Deeks started to say no as he wasn't a big fan of her imported teas. Instead, he shrugged and got up from his desk. From Hetty's office he would be able to see who came and went, plus he was bored and lonely. What he _should_ have expected was that Hetty would want to discuss the happenings at the Club. "So, Mr. Deeks, I want to compliment you on your playing Friday night. It was superb. I'm assuming the song was about the loss of Mr. Thapa as well as your newfound relationship with Miss. Blye?"

He found himself doing his fish impersonation again. Clearing his throat he said "I'm not sure what you mean, Hetty."

"Don't play dumb with me, Mr. Deeks. Everyone at the table Friday night is now aware of the, shall we say, change in the relationship status between you and Miss. Blye. Including Assistant Director Granger. Although, he was surprised when I told him you two have been together over two months now."

He sat up straighter, alarmed. "Is he threatening to break us up? I won't give her up, Hetty! I'll leave NCIS and go back to LAPD today, this morning if need be. We were actually planning on telling the rest of the team Friday night. Once we knew what their response was, we were planning on telling you today. You and Granger being there made us push our plans off." he paused and looked down at his hands. Softly he said "I never thought I would have someone so wonderful and amazing in my life Hetty, let alone that she would want me in hers. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure nothing pulls us apart." He looked back up at her to find her looking over his shoulder. Turning he found Kensi standing there, her mouth slightly open.

Kensi hadn't been able to get back to sleep after Deeks had left. Grumbling about inconsiderate boyfriends, she had gotten up and followed her partner into work. He had been deep in conversation with Hetty when she had walked in and hadn't noticed her, but Hetty had. She had listened in alarm as Hetty explained that everyone knew about them, but Deeks's response had blown her away. Smiling at him, she said to Hetty "I'll be right behind him if he leaves, Hetty! I won't give him up either. "

Hetty had an odd look on her face, as if she were trying to hold back a smile. "I would expect nothing less than that, from either of you. After all, that's why I put you together in the first place. And you have both done an excellent job during the last several months of proving you can juggle both."

Deeks looked at her dumbfounded, did he really just hear Hetty hint that she had played _matchmaker_ for him and Kensi? That couldn't be right. He thought back over the few times she had questioned their relationship, seeming to hint that any suggestion of something other than a partnership between the two would have consequences. Still, there had been the note she sent him, with the words Sunshine and Gunpowder written on it. Suddenly, Hetty's words sunk in. "Wait, did you just say that you've known about us for several months?" he asked.

"It's my job to know where my agents are at all times, Mr. Deeks, Miss. Blye."

Kensi blushed and quickly said "What's going to happen now, Hetty?"

"Well, for the moment, Owen seems to be fine with allowing things to go on as they are now, but be aware that he will be watching you closely. Any hint that your relationship is endangering a mission or another agent, and he will be ruthless. Your teammates, however, may have different opinions."

The two of them nodded their understanding. They would address their relationship with Sam and Callen when they came in. Hetty offered Kensi a cup of steaming tea and she sat in the chair next to Deeks as she drank it. The three of them, by unspoken agreement, left the issue of their relationship out of the conversation, instead focusing on the events of Friday night, eventually getting Deeks to admit he had written the song for the violin. They had been talking for about a half hour when they heard Sam and Callen entering the Mission, having a heated discussion.

"I know! Joelle wouldn't stop talking about it. I'm going to kill him when I see him!"

"Michelle was the same way! Date night and all she could talk about was Deeks this, Deeks that. How beautiful the song was, how well he played, how romantic it was that he wrote a song about Kensi. She wants me to try to write something for her now!"

Listening, Deeks slid lower and lower in his chair. He looked at Kensi in desperation, hoping she had an idea, any idea, to get him out of here without the two men seeing him. She just smiled at him, pleased that the women in her two "brothers" lives wanted them to emulate Deeks. Seeing he wasn't getting any support from Kensi, Deeks turned to Hetty. She smiled at him and said "Wouldn't it be better to face the music about you and Kensi now, Mr. Deeks, while Mr. Hanna and Mr. Callen are focused on something else?" He thought about it, not wanting to face any music of any kind at any time but, what she said did make a weird kind of sense. Standing up, he reached his hand out to Kensi who took it as they moved away from Hetty's desk and into the bullpen.

When the two men saw them, all they saw was Deeks. He was the reason why neither of them had had a peaceful moment all weekend. If they noticed that the pair were holding hands, neither cared. "Deeks! What the hell man? Friday night was supposed to be about having some fun, not you showing off and giving the girls ideas! You owe us! You need to help me put something together for Michelle before I end up sleeping in the garage!" growled Sam.

Deeks grinned at him, holding up his and Kensi's linked hands. "Is that the only thing you want to talk about Sam? Callen?"

"Yeah, yeah. The two of you are together. Big deal. What about Michelle?" said Sam.

"Don't forget Joelle! If she finds out Michelle got a song and she's the only one left out, I won't even get to see the garage, I'll be sleeping in the backyard!" whined Callen.

Deeks and Kensi laughed, this had gone easier than expected. Hetty had been right, the two men were so focused on getting out of trouble with their better halves, they really didn't care that the two of them were involved. Of course, this could change once it had really sunk in, but the initial shock was over with and everything was out in the open. No more sneaking around and watching what they said.

Deeks had just agreed to help Sam and Callen with their problems when Nell and Eric arrived, together. Saying their good mornings, the two headed upstairs. Deeks watched them with suspicion, hyper sensitive to unexpected pairings. He turned to look at Kensi with raised eyebrows, nodding towards the two analysts. Kensi narrowed her eyes at her friend's back, wondering if the two of them were together and her friend hadn't confided in her, conveniently forgetting that she hadn't confided in Nell either. Dropping Deeks's hand, she stalked Nell and Eric up to Ops.


	15. Chapter 15

This is based on a suggestion by Hoosier65. Pretty sure this is not the direction you were thinking of when you suggested writing something about self-defense, but I gave the plot minions the shot of drugs you recommended and I think I might have messed up the dosage! This is totally not where I planned to go but they had other ideas!

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Chapter 15

Deeks leaned back in his chair, smiling as he listened to Sam chide Kensi about her breakfast choices, which this morning had consisted of three donuts and a large coffee. He agreed that her food selection was not the best, but better for her to be staring daggers at Sam now, instead of him. He chanced a look at Callen, who was trying to hide his grin behind his morning paper. He was about to earn brownie points with Kensi by defending her, when Eric popped up at the head of the stairs.

"We've got a case. You guys, it's Meaghan!" dropping this bombshell, he disappeared back into Ops. After a shocked silence, the team ran up the stairs and piled into the room. Meaghan had been unofficially adopted by all of them and they were worried about what had happened to her. Hetty and Granger were waiting on them.

"What's going on, Hetty? Where's Meaghan? Is she hurt? What are we doing about it?" Deeks fired the questions at Hetty without letting her get a word in.

"Miss. Shelton was arrested by LAPD for assault and battery about an hour ago, Mr. Deeks. The boy she supposedly assaulted is pressing charges. Mrs. Shelton contacted us immediately. Admiral Shelton is out of state and is trying to get on the first transport home. At best, he won't be here until late this afternoon. There is some…concern…that the events that transpired might have been triggered by the self-defense lessons you and Miss. Blye have been giving her."

"Meaghan? No way! That can't be right, there's some mistake. You all know her; you know that she wouldn't do something like that." Deeks protested.

"What do we have, Eric?" asked Callen. Like Deeks, he was sure there was some mistake. The young girl they had come to know would not have hurt someone without provocation.

"What we've been able to get out of LAPD is that Meaghan and a Paul Timmons went out for breakfast this morning. According to her statement, she thought it was a date. When they left the restaurant, he pulled her into an alley and started kissing her. She responded but, when he tried to get into her clothes, she told him to back off. When he wouldn't, she kneed him in the groin, at which point he slapped her across the face and threw her up against the wall. She punched him in the nose with the heel of her hand, like you guys had taught her, breaking it and forcing him to let her go. At that point, she ran. His statement is that she's been stalking him since school let out for the summer and that he wanted to meet this morning in a public place to tell her he wasn't interested. She wouldn't take no for an answer and followed him, bragging about how she could kick his ass at any time, that she'd been taking lessons. _She_ forced _him_ into the alley where she proceeded to beat him up. This is a he said/she said but the only one seriously injured is the boy." Eric paused. "Deeks, Paul Timmons is the son of Federal Court Judge Mitchell Timmons and he has LAPD going hard at the girl who hurt his son."

Deeks lip curled. "I know Timmons. He's a blow hard who thinks everyone else works for him. Based on that alone, I would discount the boy's story. If he's anything like his father, he's a bully and believes he's above the law. Are there any cameras in the area we can pull footage from?"

"So far I've got this from a traffic cam, but it only shows them going into the alley and doesn't confirm or disprove either one's story." Nell put the footage up on the big screen showing the backs of Meaghan and a boy slightly taller than her. The two went into the alley but, from the angle, it wasn't clear which one of them had instigated it.

"How about the businesses that abut the alley? Do any of them have cameras?" asked Sam.

Eric replied "One of the buildings is a branch of Pacific National and they do have cameras on all sides of the building. Those weren't as easy to access as the traffic cams but I was able to hack in and I'm searching the footage now. We're going to need a warrant if we find anything we can use to help Meaghan."

Hetty said "Get the footage Mr. Beale. Let me worry about the warrant." Eric brought the footage from the bank's external camera up on the plasma. He fast forwarded until he reached the time of the assault. They all watched as Meaghan and Paul Timmons kissed in the alley. They saw him start to rip at her clothes and her fighting him off, including the kick to the groin, eliciting various sounds of distress from the guys. When the video showed Paul slap Meaghan and throw her up against the wall, Deeks stepped forward, jaw clenched, hands fisted. The video confirmed Meagan's version of the story.

"Eric, get that on a thumb drive. I'm going down to the precinct and get Meaghan out _now_." Deeks growled as he turned to Eric, to find him already holding out the drive. He grabbed it and stalked to the door, furious to the core that someone had hurt Meaghan.

"Mr. Deeks? Please try not to get arrested! We need you here and it won't help Miss. Shelton." Hetty called out to his back. He slowed but didn't turn around. He nodded in response to her words and left the room, Kensi, Sam and Callen close on his heels. She and Granger would not be far behind them. "I need to make some calls, get that warrant expedited and find out where the Admiral is." She said to Granger as they left Ops. Granger offered to track down the Admiral while Hetty dealt with the warrant.

After driving across LA at top speed, Deeks strode into the LAPD precinct where they were holding Meaghan, the rest of his team running to keep up with him. Familiar with the layout, he raced up to the third floor where he knew the detectives would have Meaghan in an interview room. Laura Shelton was the first person they saw when they came in the door. Rising from the bench where she had been sitting and ripping a tissue apart, she met them halfway. "I'm sorry. I didn't know who else to call. They're acting like Meaghan is some kind of criminal instead of just a young girl trying to escape a bad situation. You do believe her, don't you?"

Deeks said "Not only do we believe her Mrs. S; we have video proof that Meaghan's version of the story is what actually happened. Who's the arresting officer? Do you know?"

"A detective by the name of Nick Stevens and I don't like that man!" she replied.

Deeks grimaced, yet another LAPD cop who hated his guts. "Mrs. S, do you have a lawyer you can call?"

"I was hoping you could represent her Marty. I know she trusts you and will do whatever you tell her to." she replied.

Sighing, Deeks went up to the front desk where the Sergeant behind it studiously ignored him. Finally he said to the man's downturned head "Johnson, where are they holding Meaghan Shelton?"

"That would be none of your business, Deeks. Why don't you run along and cause trouble somewhere else?" the man said without lifting his head from the paperwork he was filling in.

Deeks slapped his hand on the desk causing the Sergeant to jump and finally looked up, at which point Deeks said "It is my business! I'm here as her attorney. Now tell me where she is!"

Johnson laughed and said "She must be stupider than she looks. They have her in room 2. Give her my condolences on having you for an attorney. She'll be lucky if she doesn't end up getting life!"

Deeks didn't respond, just turned and headed down the corridor towards where they were holding Meaghan, the others watching him go. Finding the room in question, he burst in, startling Nick Stevens and causing Meaghan to say his name in relief.

"What are you doing in here Deeks? This is my case. Get the hell out!"

"I'm here because I'm representing Meaghan Shelton in this case as her attorney. As she is a minor, this interview should not even be happening without a parent present or without their consent, which I know for a fact the Sheltons have _not_ given. This ends now! In addition, I have video proof that Meaghan is telling the truth and we will be requesting that LAPD press charges against Paul Timmons for assault and attempted rape. Charges for false arrest against LAPD may also be under consideration." Deeks replied, slapping the thumb drive down on the table in front of Stevens. "Did you even try, Nick? Did you even look into anything to do with this or did you just suck up to Judge Timmons and do whatever he told you to?"

Nick Stevens stared at the thumb drive on the table and then looked up at Deeks, trying to find a way out of this that wouldn't earn him a reprimand from his superiors. "I'll look at the video, and if it confirms her story, she can leave, with our apologies." He left the room to find a laptop he could watch plug the thumb drive into.

Meaghan got up from her chair and walked into Deeks's arms. He hugged her close and asked "Are you okay sweetie?" She just shook her head no into his chest and started to cry. Deeks wished Stevens was still in the room so he could beat the crap out of him. Meaghan had been traumatized by the attack and then immediately subjected to being charged with assault.

He held onto her until Stevens came back in. "The video proves Ms. Shelton was telling the truth. All charges have been dropped and she is free to leave. Paul Timmons is still in the building, we'll be letting him, and his father, know what charges are being pressed against him."

"I'm going to take Meaghan downstairs to her mother. I want to be present when the Timmons boy is notified of the impending charges." Stevens opened his mouth to protest. "Don't buck me on this Nick or you'll be directing traffic for the rest of your life. This girl is the daughter of a decorated Navy Admiral and she, personally, has close friends in both NCIS and the CIA. Don't make me turn them loose on you! Let me do this and I'll tell the Sheltons to not go forward with the false arrest case."

Stevens reluctantly nodded. "Timmons is in room 5. I'll wait for you to get back before moving forward." Deeks took Meaghan by the shoulder and ushered her out of the room.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Down the hall, while Deeks was negotiating Meaghan's release, Sgt. Johnson got up, walked around his desk to look closer at the group standing with her mother and asked "And who might all of you be?"

Callen held up his badge. "Agent Callen, NCIS. These are Agents Hanna and Blye."

"Oh, the group Deeks is currently running around with, pretending to be a federal agent? I don't know how you stomach him. Watch your backs with that one, he loves to turn on his fellow cops."

Sam stalked up to the man. "Would you care to explain that statement?"

"Sure. It's well known that Deeks loves to turn fellow cops in to Internal Affairs. He turns his back on his brothers, he screws them over!"

"Really? _Brothers_ like Frank Scarli? The cop who sold information to a drug cartel that ended up almost getting Deeks killed _twice_? Information that _did_ get Detective Jess Traynor killed? The same Frank Scarli who pulled a gun on Deeks when confronted? Who _incriminated_ himself in front of three federal agents? Or maybe you mean John Quinn. The cop who gave information to Carlton Fisk for _years_ , letting him evade capture and jail. How many guns made it into criminal's hands because of that? How many of those guns were used to wound or kill your brother police officers? Quinn tried to kill both Lt. Bates and Deeks, planning on blaming the leaks on them. Is _that_ the kind of thing he should be turning a blind eye to? Is that _really_ where you want to go with this?" Sam said, getting into the man's face.

Johnson squared his shoulders. "I don't care what you think, Deeks is a coward and a snitch!"

Stepping even closer, Sam crowded right up against the Sergeant, furious now. "Coward? Did you just call him a coward? In the six years he's been on our team, I've been in more fire fights with him than you'll ever see in your career! And each time I knew he had all of our backs. I've seen him constantly put himself in danger to help others. I've watched him walk into a room wired with explosives to save his partner who was trapped, knowing that it could blow at any time and kill both of them. I've seen him take two bullets to the chest and, just hours after surgery, race down three flights of stairs to save his partner's life, pulling out every stitch along the way. I've seen him… I've seen him tied to a chair and beaten, his mouth held open with a brace while some bastard used a drill bit on his teeth, trying to get him to give up an undercover agent, which he never did. Later that day, after we were rescued? He left the hospital and helped us save that same agent whose cover had been blown by a necessary act of her own, with 16 stitches in his face, who knows how many more inside his mouth _and_ a fractured mandible. He's a good man and a great cop. I'm proud to call him my teammate and prouder still, to call him my friend. So, if that's your definition of a coward, you can only hope someone thinks enough of you one day to call you that!" By this time Sam had crowded Johnson until the man was practically bent over his desk backwards.

Callen put his hand on Sam's arm and said "Sam."

"What G?" Sam replied, taking his eyes off Johnson for the first time. Callen nodded towards the hallway Deeks had disappeared down just a few minutes ago. Meaghan and Deeks were staring at him wide-eyed and open mouthed, but for different reasons. Sam moved away from the Sergeant and smiled at them and said "But don't tell him I said that. He's got a big enough head as it is!" Deeks laughed and Sam joined him, breaking the tension in the room. Johnson quickly moved as far away from Sam as he could, putting the desk back between him and the very large, very angry man. He looked at Deeks with narrowed eyes, trying to equate everything he had just been told with the stories he'd heard about the undercover detective.

Deeks felt a tug on his sleeve and looked down into Meaghan's worried eyes. "Did all those things really happen to you Marty?"

"Yeah kiddo." he sighed. "Yeah, they did. But I made it out the other side each time, stronger than before. I figure I've got some major good karma points banked at this point. I should be bullet proof for a least a couple decades!" he quipped trying to wipe the worry from her eyes. She smiled at him but didn't look all that convinced.

Moving them forward again, he passed Meaghan over to her mother who pulled the girl into her arms. Laura looked up and met his eyes, her own mirroring the concern he had seen in Meaghan's. He found himself worried that they would treat him differently now. Then Laura smiled at him and said "Thank you, thank you so much!"

Not returning her smile, he said "Mrs. S, we need to talk about the fact that LAPD will be pressing charges against this boy." She started to shake her head no, she didn't want Meaghan to have to go through that. "If they don't, then he might do the same to another girl, this time someone who doesn't have the benefit of the lessons we've taught Meaghan, someone who _will_ end up a victim instead. In all likelihood, Meaghan probably won't even have to testify."

Meaghan raised her head from her mother's shoulder and looked her in the eyes. "I want to do this mom! I don't want anyone else to feel what I felt when I thought I wasn't going to be able to get away from him." She looked at Deeks and then at Kensi "What you taught me saved me from a worse beating and…and…" Deeks put his finger to her lips and stopped her from trying to get the words out, shushing her.

Laura searched her daughter's eyes carefully and then nodded her head. Turning to Deeks, she said "What do we need to do?" Deeks led her over to the Sergeant's desk and walked the two of them through filling out the paperwork that would back up the LAPD charges against Timmons. With the whole event on video, it was doubtful it would ever go to trial. Once done, he headed to room 5, planning on having a talk with young Mr. Timmons. On his way there, he contacted Eric asking if the warrant had come through. Hearing that it had, he asked for the video from the bank to be sent to his phone.

He walked through the door and sat in the chair opposite the younger man, tilting it back on its back legs. Deeks stared at him and didn't say anything. Eventually, Paul couldn't stand it and asked "Who the hell are you?"

Deeks put all four feet of his chair back on the ground and leaned forward. "I'm Meaghan Shelton's attorney."

Paul grinned "If you're looking to get me to drop the charges, you can forget it. She broke my nose and she's gonna pay!" pointing to his splinted nose and already blackening eyes.

Leaning closer to Paul, Deeks said quietly "Oh, the charges have already been dropped my friend. We have you on video assaulting Meaghan and LAPD is currently putting together a whole list of charges you are going to be up for." Saying this, he pulled out his phone and ran the video footage for him.

The boy paled a little but then sneered at Deeks "Do you know who my father is?"

Standing up, Deeks said "Yup, sure do. And if we find out that you've pulled something like this before and that your father had it swept under the rug? Then daddy is going down with you!" Walking out the door, he turned back. "By the way? Tell him Deeks says hi."


	17. Chapter 17

I planned on this being a chapter about the fallout from the assault and Deeks coming face to face with the Judge, instead, this wrote itself. I think the plot minions are bottoming out from the last two chapters! Next chapter, I promise (fingers crossed behind back)….

Still own nothing but the OC's and a slightly battered keyboard.

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Chapter 17

The Saturday after Meaghan's assault, Kensi pulled up in front of the Shelton home. She and Deeks got out and starting pulling the equipment they had brought with them out of the back of the SRX. Deeks tried desperately not to spill anything onto the ground from the disaster that masqueraded as the cargo area of the SUV. "Kensi, you've taken hoarding to a new level! Do they have a 'Hoarders, the Car Edition'?"

Kensi retorted "It's not hoarding! I need everything that's in there!"

"Name one thing that's back here, _without_ looking!"

"Stuff!"

"Can you be more specific?"

"Yup!" popping the p. "My stuff."

Deeks just rolled his eyes, finally disentangling the bag from whatever 'stuff' had grabbed it. Moving up the stairs together, the front door opened just before they got there. "Ms. Blye, Mr. Deeks. A pleasure to see you as always." said Neal the butler, as he stood aside to let them in. "Mrs. Shelton and the girls are out back waiting for you." Deeks grinned at him and the two men looked around to see if any of the family or other employees were within hearing distance. Finding no one, Neal looked back at Deeks and said in a less formal English accent "Deeks, man! I wanted to say thanks again for the surfing lesson last week! I loved it and I'm thinking of getting my own board instead of renting. What do you think?"

Deeks had thawed out the, supposedly, uptight butler soon after they started the classes. Away from the Shelton's home and his job, Neal was a blast. A wicked, thoroughly raunchy sense of humor and up for just about anything. The two had become fast friends even though Neal was a good decade older than him. They didn't advertise their friendship to the Shelton family as a precaution. Neal's personal time was his own and he guarded it jealously. Deeks said "I know a place where we can get you a great deal on a good used board. You'll need a wetsuit as well. Let me know when your next day off is and we'll try to work something out!"

"Great! I'll give you a call later." Neal replied as the couple maneuvered the bags full of equipment through the foyer and down the hall to the door leading outside. Deeks opened the door and held it for Kensi to go through. She stopped short just outside. Their group had gone from two girls to seven and now appeared to be…one…two…three...she did a quick count and realized that there were now eleven girls waiting with Meaghan and Laura Shelton, making a total of twelve plus the older woman. She wondered if Meaghan's close escape had triggered the increase. They were going to have to split them up into beginners and more advanced. She turned and looked at Deeks who just shrugged.

"I'll take the newbies. You're better trained to teach the more advanced girls." he said, not concerned that the numbers kept growing. Each girl who learned something from them was one less statistic. The events from earlier in the week had proven that. They continued on, finally catching the attention of the group when they placed the bags next to the mats that had been laid out on the grass between the built-in pool and small building that housed a shower and was used for guests to change in.

"Kensi! Marty!" yelled Meaghan as she raced to them. She gave Kensi a big hug and then turned to Deeks. He hugged her and then pushed her back a little to look at her face. Her left eye was still puffy and slightly black and blue and there was a bruise on her cheek. The last time he'd seen her, the bruising hadn't started to form. He placed his thumb over the bruise on her cheek and ran it gently back and forth, his smile fading, his eyes darkening. "It doesn't hurt now, Marty. We both know it could have been so much worse." He nodded as her face faded from his view, replaced by an older woman with blond hair and blue eyes that matched his, bruises that matched Meaghan's, similar words spoken. "Marty?" Meaghan's face once again swam into view, looking at him with concern.

"I'm fine sweetie. I'll be right back." he turned and walked numbly around the pool's changing room, leaving a bewildered Meaghan behind him. Kensi had her back turned, unpacking the bags and didn't see the interaction between the two. Laura Shelton, however, saw something familiar in the way the detective moved as he left Meaghan standing there. She followed to find him leaning up against the back wall of the building, his arms crossed across his waist, hugging himself and lost in memories.

"Marty?" she said softly, not wanting to startle him, although she did anyway, he was so far away right then. "I'm assuming it was your father?"

He looked at her in shock. "I'm sorry, I don't understand the question." he responded after a few seconds, carefully smoothing his expression into one of polite inquiry.

"It wasn't your mother; you're too gentle with the girls, too protective. I figure it was your father. Meaghan's black eye and bruising triggered bad memories for you." she responded.

"How?" he asked.

"I recognize the signs." she replied, sighing.

"What do you mean?"

"My father was a very strict disciplinarian. At least that's what polite society called it. In reality, he was a mean arrogant bastard who made everyone's life a living hell."

"He hurt you?"

"Me? Oh, no, not physically anyway. I wasn't worth his time. I was just a girl, the only thing he expected of me was to find a man from a good family with lots of money and marry him. No, it was my brother, Perry. He was three years older than me and he was my best friend. When I got to the age where I played with dolls, Perry wanted to play with them with me, he didn't want the trucks and cars our father bought for him. That's when the discipline started. He was only around six years old. Our father wanted a boy to follow in his footsteps but Perry couldn't fill them. If he didn't bring home straight A's, he was disciplined. If there was a prize to be won and Perry didn't win it? Disciplined. He was supposed to excel at genteel sports like Polo or Lacrosse. He hated horses and had absolutely no athletic prowess. My father tried to discipline it into him. It never worked. He loved music but my father didn't approve of that for his son. I took piano lessons and hated it. I stuck with it because I could teach Perry everything I learned."

Laura took a breath and continued. "When he reached puberty, our father suspected he was gay. Perry didn't seem interested in girls but, if he was interested in boys, he hid it well. That didn't stop our father from trying to discipline it out of him. I think he was just a gentle soul born into the wrong family." Laura paused, lost in her own memories of a violent childhood.

"Are you two still close?" Deeks asked.

"When he was fifteen and I was twelve, he stole a bottle of sleeping pills from my mother and a bottle of vodka from the liquor cabinet. He finished both of them one night after going to bed. He just went to sleep and never woke up." she said softly, her throat closing with the tears she wanted to shed.

"My God, Laura, I'm so sorry!"

Laura laughed a little. "Do you realize that's the first time you've voluntarily called me by my first name?" He smiled at her, feeling his mood lighten and the dark memories recede a little. It didn't seem right but having someone who understood his feelings made him feel better, someone who had lived it and not come out the other side a monster.

Laura tilted her head at him. "Marty, you are the only person outside my family that knows that story. Meaghan doesn't even know. She knows she had an uncle, but she doesn't know how he died. I know I can trust you to keep this conversation between us."

He nodded, pleased to know that she had confided in him. Wanting to do the same for her, to explain how he was feeling, he said "My dad was a mean violent drunk. When he was drinking, which was pretty much every waking hour of every day, he would blow up at my mom or me for any little thing, beat us senseless. I saw bruises like Meaghan's on her face more days than not. When I was ten, a friend who knew what was going on, gave me a gun. On Thanksgiving, when I was eleven, I had to use it. He had been drinking all day and was worse than we'd ever seen him. I got scared enough to pull the gun out of hiding and put it in my pocket. It was after dinner when he pulled out the shotgun. He started to move it back and forth between mom and me, saying eenie, meenie, miney, moe. I knew one or both of us were going to die that day. I pulled out the gun and shot him."

Laura gasped and asked "Did you kill him?"

"No, I just wounded him in the shoulder, but it was enough to make him drop the gun. My mom and I ran and he was arrested at the hospital for assault and battery. He spent five years in prison."

"Do you ever see him?"

Deeks laughed sadly. "For years I wondered when he would turn up. Wondering if he would be out for revenge or if he'd changed and might want to make amends, become a real father. A couple of years ago, I was in the hospital and Hetty had him tracked down as my possible next of kin. Imagine my surprise when I found out that he died in 1998. All those years wondering and worrying about him popping up only to find out he was dead the whole time."

"Your mom?"

"I haven't seen her in years. I have no idea where she is. The only reason my dad went to jail was my testimony and that of several neighbors who had had enough. All that abuse and, when it came down to it, she sided with him. As an adult, I've seen it over and over, both as a Public Defender and as a cop. Women who are beaten bloody and insist they walked into a door, fell down the stairs. Even when the guy's caught in the act, they attack the cop trying to help her. It's not every time, but it happens often enough to make you lose faith."

"I don't believe you've lost faith Marty. There's too much love in you. No one without faith could play music the way you do. Love Kensi the way you do." Laura hesitated. "Marty, I've wanted to apologize to you for a while now. When we first met, I'm afraid I was not very nice to you. I judged you on very little evidence and found you to be lacking. You've proved me wrong over and over and I just wanted to let you know."

He smiled at her and said "I never took it personally. I know the first impression I give most people. Part of it's an unconscious defense mechanism, or so I've been told by the semi-resident NCIS shrink, and part of it is to keep people off balance. If the bad guys underestimate me, I have a better chance of taking them down and not getting killed. All those years in undercover and it's just become second nature. Still, if it makes you feel better, I accept your apology. And, I would like to offer up my own for thinking your house was ostentatious and that you had a stick up your ass."

Laura looked at him open mouthed and then burst out laughing. Deeks joined her after a second, relieved that she had taken it so well. Kensi came bursting around the edge of the building. "There you are Deeks! Don't think you're going to stand back here yakking and leave all the work to me!" she paused, taking in the two laughing hysterically. "What are you two laughing about?"

Deeks and Laura shared a look and just laughed harder, both feeling a weight lifted off their shoulders, if only for the moment.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Kensi rolled over and reached out for Deeks. Her eyes opened when she found the bed empty. Looking at the bedside clock, she sighed. She knew where she'd find him, the same place she'd found him every night since Meaghan's assault. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood up, stretching to ease away the kinks. As she padded around the end of the bed, she had to grin at the sight of their clothes strewn around the neat freak's bedroom. Last night they had had other things on their minds, things that didn't include neatly putting their clothes away. She bypassed her shirt and picked up his discarded t-shirt. She put it up to her nose and breathed in his unique scent. Sea, sand and sun with just a hint of his aftershave. The scent never failed to make her toes curl. Pulling it over her head, she walked out to the living room, finding him hunched over his laptop at the table, just as she'd expected. Tonight, however, he was just staring at a picture on the screen instead of his recent nightly behavior of trolling through the LAPD database.

She walked up behind him and saw the picture filling the screen was that of a young couple. They were very striking, the woman a beautiful green eyed blonde and the man a blue eyed brunette. They looked very happy. She moved up behind him and ran her arms down his chest, resting her chin on top of his head. He didn't jump. Somehow he always knew when she entered a room, no matter how quietly she did so.

"You can't keep doing this Deeks. You can't work all day and stay up all night on the computer, searching for whatever it is you're looking for. You need to be rested and alert when we're out in the field, otherwise you could get one of us killed!" She pulled her arms back and took hold of the back of the chair, swinging it around so that he faced her. She knelt down in front of him, taking in his red rimmed eyes, the telltale beginnings of dark circles under his eyes.

"Talk to me babe! Tell me what's going on. I know it's more than just Meaghan's assault. If anything, we should be proud of her, pleased that she used her training to make herself safe. I know this has to have something to do with the Timmons kid or his dad, the judge. Did you have a run in with the judge when you were a Public Defender? What is it you're looking for? And who's the couple in the picture? Talk to me!"

Deeks huffed out a laugh "I was never in the high and mighty Judge Timmons's courtroom. He was a federal judge and I was just a lowly PD." Sighing, he reached out and ran a thumb over her cheek, thinking how beautiful she was. Making a decision, he decided it was time to tell her what was going on in his mind. He gestured towards the picture on the screen. "That's Katie Spears and her fiancé Michael Willis. Katie and I went to law school together. She was one of my best friends, as close to me as a sister. Michael was an awesome guy and just right for her. After they started dating, Michael and I became good friends as well. He even talked to me about proposing to her and I helped him pick out the ring. They were perfect together. That was their engagement picture that ran in the papers." He stopped.

"What happened to them?" she asked, picking up on the fact that he had spoken of them in the past tense.

"Katie was a federal prosecutor and she was good, damn good. A couple years before I joined NCIS, just after I had made detective, Katie was assigned a case against an arms dealer, Steven Parks. The FBI had run a sting on him and had him dead to rights. The case should have been a slam dunk. Instead, the judge on the case ruled most of the evidence inadmissible for the flimsiest of reasons. Katie had been livid, telling me later how the judge had sustained just about every objection the guy's attorney had voiced. He also overruled every one of hers. In the end the jury had to acquit the guy, there just wasn't enough left."

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess the judge was Timmons?"

"Yup. Katie filed a complaint against him, but it never went anywhere. She even tried for a mistrial but was denied. Timmons had friends in high places and was highly regarded. We never did find out if he was paid off, blackmailed or somehow threatened. Eventually it was dropped and everyone had to move on."

"It didn't end there, did it?"

"No. Two months after the end of the trial, Katie and Michael were gunned down outside a restaurant as they were leaving. They both died instantly."

"You don't think it was Timmons, do you?"

"No. At first it was thought it was just a random drive by. But then, a week later, the FBI agent who was undercover with Parks, as well as his handler, were both shot dead outside their apartments. Everyone associated with the case was now gone."

"So you suspected Parks? Makes sense. He took his revenge on everyone who tried to put him away."

"Yeah. A couple years ago he got caught again. This time he got a different judge and he's now doing serious time at Victorville. They were never able to pin the murders on him though."

"But you blame Timmons, don't you?"

"Yes! Directly or indirectly, he was responsible for five deaths by his actions, actions that let Parks go free! I…I totally lost it when we realized their deaths were related to the case. I _may_ have accosted the judge and accused him of murder. I was lucky that he didn't press charges. I still think the only reason he didn't is that he didn't want anyone looking into my accusations. He thinks too highly of himself to let someone get away with that if he wasn't worried something else would have come out of it. I've kept track of him over the years but have never been able to find anything else that I could use."

Kensi sighed, understanding his frustrations and now having a clearer picture of what was driving him. When she realized something he said didn't add up, literally, she asked. "Wait, you said five deaths? Katie, Michael and the two FBI agents make four. Who else died?"

He looked at her sadly. "Oh…oh, no." she said softly.

He nodded at her. "Katie was three months pregnant. They had been out celebrating the news with her parents when it happened." Turning, he reached out a hand and ran it over the picture on the screen. "They would have been great parents. That kid would have been loved beyond measure." his voice broke a little as the loss became fresh again.

"Meeting Timmons's kid brought it all back, didn't it?" she asked.

"Yeah. I keep thinking, why is his kid alive and well, out there hurting people, when their kid died before he or she ever had a chance?"

Kensi put her hands to his face. "We'll dig into him! I know if we tell the rest of the team what you just told me, they'll want justice for them as much as you do. I think if we get the wonder twins on this, it will go a lot faster than you trying to find something on your own, especially when you're half dead from exhaustion." Getting up, she took his hands in hers and pulled him out of the chair. Once he was standing, she gently reached behind him and closed the lid on the laptop.

He put his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. Mumbling into it he said "What did I ever do to deserve you in my life?"

She pulled back and looked him in the eyes. "You're a good man, Marty Deeks. You deserve to be happy as much as anyone else. I can only hope that I'm the one that can give you that happiness."

He smiled at her, the sadness in his eyes retreating. "You already have, Fern, you already have."

Her heart swelled, this was as close to an admission of love that either had been willing to risk so far. She knew how she felt but was waiting for him to say it. She was hopeful that he was doing the same. One of these days, one of them was going to have to be the braver of the two. She stepped back and took his hand and said softly "Let's go back to bed."

Grinning at her, he waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"And just like that, the moment is gone!"


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Deeks woke slowly and stretched a little, eliciting a grumble from Kensi, who was draped all over him. He looked at the bedside clock and realized they still had a little over half an hour before the alarm went off. He looked down at the sleeping beauty lying beside him. Her head was on his shoulder, arm across his waist, leg across his and instead of feeling trapped, he felt safe and protected. He thought back to last night, or rather early this morning. It had felt good to share the burden of his history with Timmons with her. Her compassion and utter faith that the rest of the team would want to help had made him feel more optimistic about finding something on the judge than he had in a long time. If the wonder twins couldn't find anything on him, then there was nothing to find. He thought about how much he loved this woman, more than he had ever loved anyone else before or ever would again. He wanted to tell her but was afraid she wasn't there yet, afraid he'd push her away by moving too fast. He wanted to be the first to say it. He wanted to be the brave one. His arm tightened around her and she murmured his name against his chest, snuggling into him a little more in her sleep. Her movements brought back other memories of last night and he put his hand under her chin to raise her head so he could gain access to her lips.

The last half hour before the alarm went off was put to good use.

Two hours later they walked into the Mission together. On the ride in they had agreed to talk to Hetty first, to get her permission to have NCIS look into any possible involvement Timmons had had with Parks beyond the trial. Sam and Callen were already in so they said their good mornings and dumped their bags at their desks before heading to Hetty's office. Both men watched them curiously and, maybe, with a little concern, wondering what was so important that the two of them had to see Hetty about it first thing in the morning.

"Hetty, do you have a moment?" asked Deeks.

"Of course, Mr. Deeks, Miss. Blye. Have a seat." The two took the seats in front of her desk. "Tea?"

"No, thank you, Hetty. I, we, wanted to talk to you about something. It has to do with Judge Timmons." said Deeks. At her nod he told her the story of the Steven Parks trial, his and Katie's suspicions about the judge and her subsequent death. Deeks finished and looked at her.

"So, you want to use NCIS personnel and resources to look into whether Judge Timmons is dirty?"

"Yes. If he was bought off on this case, how many others has he done the same on? Cases the FBI, DEA and even NCIS have brought, or will bring, before him. Cases that we risked our lives on, only to have the bad guys get off because of a judge who can be bought."

"You really should have stayed a lawyer, Mr. Deeks. Have no fear, I have every intention of helping you look into Judge Timmons." She didn't seem surprised at what he had told her. He narrowed his eyes at her, wondering. Did she really know everything or was she just so good at hiding her surprise that she made it seem like she did? It certainly added to her mystique.

A gravelly voice sounded behind Deeks and Kensi, interrupting his musings. "You can use those two meerkats up in ops as long as it doesn't interfere with any current cases. You will also have my full support during your _discreet_ investigation. I am no fonder of a dirty judge than I am of a dirty agent or cop, especially when it interferes with NCIS cases." Owen Granger stepped up into Hetty's office. Deeks grinned at him in appreciation and Granger frowned. The LAPD detective got under his skin and he was afraid he was getting used to it. Before being assigned as the Assistant Director over the Office of Special Projects, he had been a hard, battle tested, ruthless and ambitious man. Now, there was something about this team of Hetty's that had broken through to something he had long thought dormant. He wouldn't go soft or easy on them, but he would protect them as far as he could and maybe a little beyond. He had finally come to understand Hetty's attachment to this team of hers and he wasn't sure if he was particularly happy about it. Still, they seemed to be coming to care about him as well and that didn't bother him, too much.

Hetty clicked the Bluetooth in her ear and asked Nell to come downstairs and to bring Eric with her. Nell responded that they'd be right down. Getting up, she motioned the three in front of her towards the bullpen. "No time like the present to brief your team, Mr. Deeks." They made it to the bullpen at about the same time as the two analysts. Everyone looked curiously at each other, not sure what was going on. "Mr. Deeks?"

Deeks cleared his throat and started. "It would seem my current and previous lives have chosen now to intersect. The boy who assaulted Meaghan is, as you know from what Eric told us when it happened, the son of a federal court judge. What you don't know, is that the judge and I have a history, an unpleasant one. I firmly believe that his actions led directly to the death of one of my best friends, her husband, their unborn child and two FBI agents several years ago. I just haven't been able to prove it. With Hetty and Granger's permission, I'd like to ask you guys to help me look into him. Find out if he's taking bribes or has something in his life that opens him up to blackmail. I've tried on my own but I haven't gotten anywhere. I wouldn't ask if I didn't think it was important." He then proceeded to tell them what he had told Kensi last night, leaving nothing out, including his accusing the judge of murder right to his face.

Sam looked at him. "There's something more now, isn't there Deeks?"

Deeks sighed and nodded. "I have no idea if it's true, but I have a feeling that this isn't the first time that Paul Timmons has gotten into trouble with the law and expected to get away with it. He was too sure of himself, too smug. It seemed like he knew the playbook and was waiting for everyone else to fall into line. He was stunned when I showed him the video and told him he wasn't getting off on this. He recovered quickly and threatened me with his father, so sure it would work. If what I suspect is true, it bothers me to think that, if the judge hadn't gotten Paul out of trouble in the past, the assault on Meaghan might never have happened."

Sam nodded thoughtfully. He thought about Kamran and how he would feel if she were hurt by someone who, because he had escaped justice in the past, crossed paths with his little girl. "I'm in!"

Everyone else agreed wholeheartedly. Nell and Eric were dying to get back up to ops to start their search, already bouncing ideas off each other at the speed of light. Granger took a moment to remind them that active cases would come first, to which they all agreed. Deeks looked at his team, his family, and had a moment's sympathy for the firestorm about to rain down on Judge Timmons. A sympathy that died as quickly as it was born. If the man was as guilty as Deeks thought, he deserved everything that happened to him. If he wasn't, then Deeks could finally put that part of his past to rest.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Several days later, Deeks walked into ops with Kensi, he was dressed in a nice suit and tie, carrying a briefcase as well as his normal messenger bag. Open mouths met his appearance. "Don't swallow your tongues and don't get used to it! I have to attend a deposition with Meaghan this morning as I'm her attorney. We're meeting with Paul Timmons's attorney at 10:30 at his office."

"How's she holding up?" asked Callen.

"She's a trooper. We've prepped for this meeting and I think she's as ready as she'll ever be. I think she's actually enjoying her first excursion into the legal world. She keeps asking me all kinds of questions about the law. If I'm not mistaken, she might be considering a career as an attorney."

"G. We need to have a talk with her as soon as possible! This has to be nipped in the bud _right_ now!" quipped Sam.

"Ha, ha, ha. I'll have you know that most lawyers are hardworking, honest people. You only hear about the crooked ones, same as with cops. Anyway, I should only be gone a couple hours. Any update from the wonder twins?"

"Nothing yet, Deeks. Give them time. They can only work on researching Timmons when there's nothing else going on." replied Callen. The day the team had agreed to look into the judge, they'd caught a case concerning a dead marine with possible ties to theft of armament from Camp Pendleton. They'd managed to find the missing weapons and put away the rest of the men the marine had been working with, one of whom had killed the man, thinking he was double crossing them. None of them had had any time to focus on Timmons, being more focused on staying alive.

"That's cool. You know how much I appreciate any time you guys can give me on this." Deeks directed the last statement to everyone in the room, including Kensi. They all nodded and got back to work. The sooner the after action reports on the case that had wrapped up last night were done, the sooner they could focus on Timmons. As long as another case didn't drop in their laps.

At 10:00, Deeks saved the last of his paperwork and stood up. "I need to head downtown now. Like I said, I should only be a couple hours."

Kensi looked up "Want some company?"

"Kensalina, I always want your company but this is going to be boring. You can't come into the room with Meaghan and me; you'll have to either wait in the car or the waiting room. The only people who'll be allowed inside will be Meaghan, me and her mom."

"Still beats paperwork and I would be there to have your back." Getting to the real reason she wanted to go with him she added "Maybe the four of us could go out to lunch afterwards?" The two Shelton women had fast become a fixture in her and Deeks's lives. The Admiral was away from home so often, they didn't see much of him, but they saw Laura and Meaghan at least once a week for the self-defense lessons, as long as they weren't on a case, and often stayed for brunch afterwards. The first impression Laura had made on them had faded and they both considered the women friends. Kensi knew something had been exchanged between Laura and Deeks last Saturday. There had been a marked change in their interactions since, Deeks now easily calling her Laura instead of Mrs. S. or Mrs. Shelton. She hadn't pried and he hadn't volunteered. She had an idea that Laura had shared something with him, something he felt honor bound to keep to himself. While it drove her nuts not knowing, she respected his need to keep a confidence.

"Come on Deeks. Let me come with you. Let me come with you. Let me come with you." Kensi wheedled, changing her inflection each time she said it. He laughed and held out his hand, pulling her up out of her chair and the two left the Mission, still hand in hand. Sam and Callen exchanged a smile and went back to their paperwork. Once the worry about the two of them having a romantic relationship outside work had worn off, the more they realized that the two of them had always been one unit, perfectly complementing each other. The change in their personal lives had had little to no impact on their job performance; in fact, they seemed even more cohesive than ever before.

Pulling into a parking space in front of the law firm of Miller, Miller and Crosby, Deeks turned to Kensi and asked "Do you want to stay here or come in?"

"I'll come in. At least it'll be air-conditioned." They walked into the building together.

Meaghan and Laura were already there, waiting on Deeks. Both were pleased to see Kensi and happily agreed to do lunch when the deposition was done. Now that everyone was present, the secretary led Deeks, Laura and Meaghan to a small conference room, asking if anyone wanted anything. When they all replied no, she left them alone. Deeks turned to Meaghan "How're you doing sweetie? Everything ok? You remember everything I told you? Answer concisely. Only answer what they ask, don't volunteer any additional information. If you aren't sure how to answer, look at me, I'll help you. If I feel the line of questioning is irrelevant to the case, I'll step in."

"Marty! We've been over this a hundred times. I think you're more nervous than I am!" Meaghan laughed.

The door opened and Ken Crosby, attorney for Paul Timmons stepped in. The man that followed him caused the temperature to drop in the room. Judge Mitchell Timmons walked in as if he had every right to be there. Looking at the three people sitting on the other side of the table he said "Deeks." disdain dripping from the one word.

Replying in kind, Deeks said "Timmons."

" _Judge_ Timmons!"

" _Detective_ Deeks." Their exchange over, Deeks turned to the other attorney. " _Judge_ Timmons has no right to be here. This deposition is only between you, Meaghan and me, as her attorney. If he stays, this meeting is over with, _now_!

Ken Crosby held up his hand. "Judge Timmons asked to be included as a professional courtesy. I see no reason why he can't remain."

Deeks looked at the man incredulously. "You see no reason why he can't remain? He's the defendant's _father_! His _son_ assaulted and attempted to rape my client!"

"Allegedly, Detective, allegedly!" Timmons contributed smugly.

"There's no alleged about that video footage! Your son _did_ attack my client and he will pay for it!" Deeks responded.

"Pay, detective? Is that what this is about? Extorting money from me and my family?"

Before Deeks had a chance to respond, Laura stepped in. "I don't know you Judge Timmons nor do you know me or my family. If you did, you would know the last thing we need from you is money. Your son did what he did and needs to be punished for it!"

"My _son_ was attacked by _your_ daughter who broke his nose! If anyone should be on trial here, it should be her!"

Deeks intervened before things got more out of hand. "If Judge Timmons is to remain, we're leaving now. We'll reschedule, at a time of _our_ convenience and he will _not_ be there. At this point, I think my client has been traumatized enough for today. I will also be lodging a complaint about this. It's unethical and you know it!" he threw the last at the attorney now standing red faced beside the judge. Deeks sighed; Timmons had thrown his weight around again, probably threatening the other attorney. He stood and motioned to Meaghan and Laura to precede him from the room.

Kensi looked up in surprise from the magazine she had been flipping through when the three of them reentered the waiting room. "That was quick!" Seeing the thunderous look on Deeks's face and the shell-shocked looks on Meaghan's and Laura's, she quickly added "What's wrong? What happened?" She looked past him to see Judge Timmons entering the room with another man she didn't recognize. Her mouth dropped open.

"Let's go. We're out of here!" said Deeks, storming past her, Meaghan and Laura hurrying along in his wake.

Kensi hesitated and looked the judge in the eyes. He didn't know who she was and dismissed her immediately as not worth his attention. That is until she wouldn't drop her eyes. He frowned at her, wondering who this woman was and why she was with that detective who was playing at being a lawyer. She cast him a feral smile and said "Judge Timmons." as she turned and followed the others out. He shivered, not liking that look or her tone of voice at all. Maybe he should look into Deeks's associates.

Kensi caught up with the rest of them outside the building, Deeks pacing back and forth while the two women watched him, never having seen him so angry before. She put a hand on his arm to stop his pacing and found him shaking with anger. "Deeks, you have to let it go, for now anyway. If anything, this little stunt of his had given us more ammunition against him. He thinks he's untouchable but he is sadly mistaken." She reached up and grabbed his chin, forcing him to meet her eyes. She smiled at him, feeling the shaking fade and watching the anger drain from his face.

He put his forehead against hers and said "Ah, Fern. What would I do without you?"

She smiled at him, relieved he was coming down from his anger. "My intention is that you'll never have to find out!" He hugged her tight and then let her go.

He turned and started to apologize to the Sheltons. Both waved away his apologies. Laura looked at him closely "There's more between the two of you than just his son's assault on Meaghan, Marty. Do you want to fill us in?"

He raked his hand through his hair. "Yeah, actually, I do. It's a little earlier than we had planned for lunch so how about we do brunch somewhere instead and I'll tell you all about it."

The four of them agreed to meet at a new place Kensi had been dying to try and they got into their respective cars. Before starting up the SRX, Kensi turned to Deeks and said "It's going to happen, you know. We're going to take him down and he's not going to know what hit him!"

He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "I know, I just don't want to get the Sheltons into the middle of this."

"Deeks, they were caught up in the middle of this as soon as Meaghan agreed to go out to breakfast with that man's son. They're just lucky that you're on their side. Other lawyers might be intimidated by the judge's power and connections and not have stood up for Meaghan."

"I hope so, Kens. You need to watch me, you need to make sure that I don't let my feelings about Timmons get in the way for what's best for Meaghan."

"There's no way you would ever let anything get in the way of what's best for her, but okay, I'll keep watch. Now let's go eat, I'm starving!"

He laughed with her and they pulled away from the building. Judge Timmons watched them drive away from the third floor window of the law firm. After watching the interchange between the two, he assumed the brunette was just Deeks's girlfriend and he finally dismissed her, not realizing that she was a federal agent and NCIS now firmly had him in their crosshairs. He turned and glared at his son's attorney. "I want to know when the deposition is rescheduled for."

"I can't let you come in again, sir. Deeks will never allow it!"

Sighing in frustration, Timmons turned away from Crosby and said "Very well, but I want to be told every single thing that little tramp says about what happened between her and my son. Is that understood?"

Ken Crosby frowned at the back of the man standing at the window. At this point, he really wished his firm had not taken Paul Timmons on as a client. He found himself siding with Deeks but wasn't sure how to get out from underneath the powerful man before him. For now, he would play along and see if he could find a way out. "As you wish, sir."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Deeks walked slowly into the Mission, his body complaining with every step. He knew he should still be in the hospital but he'd been desperate to see her. It had been just over three weeks since he'd heard her voice, seen her face. He'd had no contact with anyone at NCIS during that time and he missed them, all of them, hell, he'd even missed Granger. Three days after the disastrous deposition meeting, he'd been called into LAPD for an undercover op. It had been expected to last a week but had ended up going on much longer. He had been under to infiltrate a drug ring he had had contact with before as Robert Jordan, a drug smuggler who would sell anything to the highest bidder. Everything had been on track when a rival ring had suddenly encroached on his target's territory. Miguel Rivera had not been happy and the buy had been put on hold while he dealt with his upstart rival. Deeks had had to hang around, pretending to support Miguel in his vendetta against Jorge Castillo. The rising tensions had come to a head earlier that day, the bullets and fists flying when Miguel had finally tracked down Jorge's headquarters and raided it. He'd been caught by three of Jorge's enforcers, two holding him while a third had beat the hell out of him. He'd been rescued by one of Miguel's guys who had shot all three. He, in turn, had lost half his head to a bullet from one of Jorge's guys, splattering blood and other things he didn't want to think about all over Deeks. The gun had then been trained on him when the cops had finally arrived.

He'd tried to give the code words to the rookie cop who had stumbled on them but, either the rookie had never been told what the words meant or he was just too caught up in the action and adrenalin rush to pay attention. Deeks had taken a baton to the head and woken up chained to a gurney in a hallway at Pacific Beach Medical. Once he'd been able to focus his eyes and started seeing one of everything instead of two or three, he'd caught the attention of the same rookie cop, who had been assigned to guard him, telling him quietly he was an undercover detective and needed to have the handcuffs removed. The rookie didn't believe him, thinking he was being played and Deeks had had to talk him into calling Lt. Bates. Once Bates had confirmed his identity, the guy had been quick to release him, apologizing profusely for bashing his head in, introducing himself as Officer Stan Wolinsky. He'd gone easy on the younger man, wanting nothing more than to get off that gurney and out of the hospital. He'd snuck out as soon as Wolinsky's attention had been directed elsewhere. He would deal with the fallout later.

Pausing outside the bullpen, out of sight of his team, he listened as the guys berated Kensi for something she had pulled earlier that day. It sounded like his girl had not been taking care of herself in his absence and Callen was calling her to task for it. He looked over at Hetty's desk and found her staring at him. He cocked his head at her and gave her a crooked smile. She nodded at him, her face breaking into a relieved smile. Stepping into the bullpen he said "I can't leave you guys alone for five minutes without you letting Kensi get into trouble!"

"Deeks!" shouted Kensi as she threw herself at him. He couldn't stop the groan that escaped when she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him hard. She stepped back and looked closely at him, taking in the almost swollen left eye and the bruises that were starting to form all over his face. "What the hell have you been up to?" she asked as she poked him in the side. The gasp of pain brought her hands to his t-shirt, starting to untuck it from his jeans.

He put his hands on hers to stop her. "Bit public for that kind of display, isn't it, Princess?" waggling his eyebrows at her. She brushed him off and finished pulling the t-shirt out from his jeans, lifting it up to expose the bruising starting to cover his abdomen and rib cage. She gasped at the sight.

"Deeks, what the hell? Not that we're not glad to see you but you should be in the hospital!" said Callen. Both men had crowded around Deeks and Kensi, happy to see the teammate they had missed sorely, not that either one would admit it out loud. Sam reached out and clapped a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently. Deeks grinned at all of them the best he could, the bruised muscles in his cheeks making their displeasure known.

He was about to respond when a red headed bullet launched from the bottom of the stairs that led up to ops and Nell landed in the dead center of his chest. He put his arms around her, partly to hug her and partly to stay upright when his vision started to grey from the pain her assault had triggered. She hugged him back saying "Shaggy! We missed you so much! I'm so glad you're back and you're okay."

He placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head. "I missed you too Velma. It's not the same running an op without you and Eric to keep watch over me." Looking up, he saw Eric standing just behind Nell, grinning from ear to ear. He was about to greet his surfing buddy when he heard rapid footsteps coming down the hall.

"Did I hear Deeks was back?" the familiar gravelly voice asked. Deeks eyes widened, was it possible that _Granger_ had missed _him_?

His attention was brought back to Callen when the team leader said again "You should be in the hospital Deeks. You look like death warmed over."

"I needed to come home for a minute, I needed to see you guys." he said, too tired and fuzzy to realize he had just called the Mission home. His team picked up on it though, all of them looking with concern at their bruised and battered Liaison Officer. By this time, the man was swaying on his feet.

"Miss. Blye? Would you be so kind as to take our Mr. Deeks back to the hospital and make sure he is thoroughly checked out by a doctor?" Hetty asked.

Kensi nodded and turned to get her bag and keys. "I don't really need a hospital Hetty. Kensi can just take me home." he whined. Hetty just shook her head at him and turned to Kensi, raising her eyebrows. Kensi nodded at the unspoken order and came back to him, taking him gently by the elbow. He protested again, not wanting to go back to the place he just escaped from. He realized he had no memory of how he had gotten from the hospital to OSP.

Nell piped up. "Be a good boy Shaggy and do what Hetty asks. If you do, you'll get a treat when you get back."

Deeks looked at her in confusion. Treat? What the hell was she talking about? Why did everyone always insist on referring to him like he was a dog? "Nell, what exactly do you mean by that?"

She looked at him and grinned as she said "We got him Deeks! We got Timmons and it's everything you suspected and so much more. Now, the quicker you go to the hospital, the quicker you can come back and find out what Eric and I uncovered!"

Her words had the opposite effect of what she'd hoped. There was no way Deeks was going to walk out of this building without finding out what the twins had discovered. He shook Kensi's hand off and took a step towards the analyst just as his world turned to black and he collapsed. Sam had recognized the signs as Deeks's eyes had rolled back in his head and was able to catch him before he hit the floor. He lifted the detective easily into his arms and told Kensi to go get the car, he'd bring him out. The rest of the team, including Hetty and Granger scattered to various cars, none of them having any intention of staying at the Mission, waiting and worrying about Deeks's condition. They also wanted to be there when he regained consciousness and they could give him the news about the man they had all come to despise.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Deeks opened his eyes or, at least, one eye. He looked at his surroundings, careful not to turn his head until he knew what was going on, and realized he was in a hospital room, the steady beeping of the machines irritating him. He remembered lying on a gurney in the hall but everything else was hazy. For some reason he thought he had been at the Mission but that couldn't be right given his current circumstances. He lifted his right hand and began to do an inventory check. Left eye, swollen shut, check. Didn't appear to be any stitches anywhere on his face, although many areas were sore to the touch. Moving down his chest, his hand encountered tightly wrapped bandages around his midsection. Well, that explained why he couldn't take a deep breath. He wondered idly if his ribs were broken, fractured or just bruised. He turned his head and immediately felt nauseous but it had been worth it. His Kensi was sitting by his bed, holding his other hand, her head on the bed, sound asleep. Little snort snores escaped her every so often. He smiled, knowing how vehemently she denied that she snored. One of these days he was going to tape her, just to prove it. He moved his right hand across his body and gently ran it across the top of her head, making sure he didn't wake her but needing to touch her.

"Welcome back, Mr. Deeks."

He jumped a little and noticed Hetty for the first time. She was sitting in a chair behind Kensi, lost in the shadows of the dimly lit room. He smiled at her. "Hi Hetty. How long have you been there?"

She gave her stock answer of "Long enough, Mr. Deeks, long enough."

He frowned, asking quietly "How long have I been here? How long was I out?"

"Roughly 14 hours. You passed out at the Mission last night and we brought you back to the hospital that you had skipped out on, _before_ getting appropriate medical treatment for your injuries. You need to take better care of yourself Mr. Deeks!"

"I'm fine Hetty, really. What's the damage?"

"Concussion, three fractured ribs, multiple severe bruises and contusions. From what I hear from Lt. Bates, the carnage at the scene makes it seem like you got off lightly."

"Why was I out for so long? I've had concussions before, 14 hours is a long time." he looked at her suspiciously.

"Well, I might have recommended that the doctor give you a mild sedative so that you didn't try to walk out once again."

"Hetty!" he said, trying to lean forward but hissing at the pain in his ribs.

She smiled at him and he settled back in resignation. Closing his eyes, he tried to reconstruct the last 24 hours. He remembered Miguel insisting on him coming along on the raid on Castillo. He remembered the beating, the shootings. More bits and pieces started to come back. The rookie who'd taken a baton to his head. Waking up in the hospital, cuffed to the gurney. Getting the officer, Wolinksy?, to release him. Walking into the Mission. There was a gap between the hospital and the Mission that he still couldn't seem to fill. Feeling relief at seeing his family. Kensi, Sam, Eric, Nell. Nell? Wait! His eyes flew open and he locked eyes with Hetty.

"Nell! Nell told me she and Eric had uncovered something about Timmons. That everything I suspected was correct and something about there being even more." he spoke louder this time and Kensi started awake.

"Deeks! You're awake!" Kensi got up from her chair and leaned down to kiss him.

When her lips were just about to touch his, he breathed out "Hetty's here."

She paused and then breathed back at him "I don't care!" and her lips met his. He dug his hand into her hair and tried to pull her closer but she resisted him.

Coming up for air, he asked "What's wrong?" knowing she would understand what he was asking.

"You have three fractured ribs and bruises that cover most of your chest and abdomen. I don't want to hurt you!"

He put his hand on her cheek and said "It's worth the pain." She smiled back, raising her hand to put over his.

Hetty cleared her throat. "I'll let the doctor and the others know you're awake, Mr. Deeks." she said as she left the room, leaving the two of them alone.

"Don't you _ever_ do that again!" Kensi said to him angrily.

"Do what, Fern?" although he was pretty sure that he knew why she was angry.

"Don't get hurt. If you do get hurt, don't leave the hospital without treatment. Don't wander into the Mission after three weeks without a word and then pass out on me!" her voice broke a little at the end.

"I'm sorry Sugar Bear. It won't happen again." behind her head, he crossed his fingers. "Now, I want to know what the wonder twins found out about Timmons!"

Once again, he wasn't destined to get those answers as the doctor entered his room, a nurse trailing him. "Ah Mr. Deeks, Ms. Lange informed me you had regained consciousness. Ma'am, you'll have to leave while we re-examine him."

Kensi opened her mouth to protest but Deeks shushed her. "The sooner you leave, the sooner they get done poking and prodding me, the sooner you can come back." She smiled at him and nodded reluctantly. Turning away, she glared at the doctor and nurse, blaming them for separating her from him. The doctor, used to this from patient's loved ones, smiled blandly at her.

She stalked out and headed to the waiting room. Hetty would already have told everyone he was awake but she wanted to be with her friends if she couldn't be with him. She walked in and stopped for a moment, taking in the group of people that had swelled since last night. Their team, Nell, Eric, Hetty and Granger had been in and out since they had redelivered him here. Last night, she had called Laura Shelton to let her know that the lessons for the next day were cancelled as Deeks was in the hospital, unconscious at that time. Laura had been worried about him but Kensi had reassured the woman that it didn't appear life threatening. The current group included everyone from last night as well as Meaghan and Laura, Cassie and Paula, Chris, Cindy and Little Chris, Michelle, Joelle and Kensi's mom, Julia. She smiled, wondering how he managed to collect such a diverse group of people who cared so much for him, knowing the group would be even larger if the word had been spread wider. She still wasn't sure how most of them had found out in the first place. They all turned and looked at her as she stepped all the way in.

"He's fine. He's awake and the doctor's in with him now, re-examining him. When he's done, I'm sure we'll be able to see him." she said to the group taking up most of the waiting room. Everyone smiled at her, her words reaffirming what Hetty had already told them.

Julia came up to her, gave her a hug and said "How are you doing Kensi?"

"I'm good, mom. He's awake and he's going to be fine, so I'm good." she reassured her mother. Looking around the room, she searched for Nell. Finding her, she made her way over, her hand still in Julia's. "Nell? He remembered what you told him about Timmons. He's going to want to know as soon as we can get you guys in there."

Nell nodded and said "I'm so sorry Kensi! I really thought I could get him to go back to the hospital by promising him something good if he did. I should have known better, Shaggy never does what you expect him to."

Kensi put her arm around the smaller woman and hugged her close. "It's okay Nell. Just be prepared when you see him." Nell leaned into her for a moment.

The door opened and all eyes turned to watch the doctor enter. He smiled at Kensi and said "He's fine. Nothing new has shown up since yesterday, we should be able to release him tomorrow although he will need to be on bed rest for a few more days after that. He can have visitors now." Everyone surged forward, causing the doctor to step back. He'd dealt with people injured in the line of duty before; he knew the level of anxiety and anger friends and family felt, knowing that the one they cared about was only there because of someone else. "Um, normally we only allow three visitors at a time, but, seeing as Mr. Deeks is in a private room, I will relax those rules and anyone who wants to, can go in." He had barely finished the sentence when he found himself in an empty room. He chuckled and went on to his next patient.

The door to Deeks's room burst open and 16 people and 1 infant tried to cram into the hospital room at the same time. There was much good natured shoving and pushing. Once everyone was squished in, Kensi resumed her place on his bed. Deeks looked at everyone in surprise. When Hetty had said she was going to tell everyone he was awake, he thought she meant Sam and/or Callen at most. He looked around the room, smiling as best he could at everyone, searching for Nell or Eric. He wanted answers and he wanted them now.

Laura Shelton took a good look at the man in the hospital bed. The scruffy detective had gone from an annoyance to something rapidly approaching little brother status and it was scaring her. She thought back to when she had told Marty about Perry, something she had never shared with anyone outside her immediate family. She'd lost Perry and this incident brought home to her how dangerous Marty's line of work really was. He could be taken away in an instant. Next time he might not be so lucky. Next time they could be standing by his graveside instead of his bedside. Did she want to risk this? She smiled, it was already too late. Marty had filled a void in her life that she hadn't even known was there. He and, by extension the rest of his team, had opened up her world to new things. Perry had been gentle and, dare she even think it, weak. He hadn't fought; he'd just gone quietly in the night, leaving devastation in his wake. The man in the bed before her wouldn't do that; he'd fight with every last breath in his body. He'd proven that when he'd picked up a gun at a very young age and done what he had to in order to save himself and his mother.

Before the NCIS team had been assigned to them several months ago, her life had been one long boring committee meeting after another. She had thought she was happy and fulfilled, then this team of disparate individuals who made up one whole, turned her life upside down. She never thought she would be taking self-defense lessons from a federal agent and LAPD cop and enjoying them. She doubted anyone in the room, other than Meaghan, knew she meet Henrietta Lange for tea once a month, each time trying a different tea room in the LA area. Her 'friends' on the various committees said she'd changed, and she was pretty sure they didn't mean it as a compliment.

Her reverie was broken when Meaghan slipped her hand into hers. Looking down at her daughter, she saw tears in her eyes. "What's the matter baby? You heard the doctor; he's going to be fine!"

"Mom. Do you think this is what Marty felt when he saw me that first time after the attack? When he flaked out on us?"

"Yes, Meaghan, I think it's exactly what he felt. It's not easy seeing someone you care about hurt."

"I was kind of mad at him when it happened. I thought he would tell me how proud he was of me, instead he just walked away."

"I don't think it's easy for him to show that kind of emotion. He didn't want you to see him break down."

"I get it now, mom. I don't want him to see me crying over him either, but it's hard, you know?"

Laura smiled at her daughter and hugged her to her side. "Yeah, I do know. Now put on a happy face and go tell him you're glad he's okay." Meaghan nodded and pushed her way to the bedside. She reached down and hugged him gently, telling him that this was no way to get out of the Saturday classes. Marty laughed and everyone joined in.

Eventually, the crowd started to leave in groups, everyone reassured he was really okay. Sam, Michelle, Callen and Joelle had promised Kamran that they'd take her to the zoo that afternoon. The get well card Kamran had made for Uncle Marty that morning was sitting front and center on the bedside table. They said their goodbyes.

Cassie had to go home to get ready for work and Paula left with her, making him promise to keep them up to date on how he was. They were still planning on him officiating at the wedding so let him know in no uncertain terms that he was not to get beaten up again. He needed to be presentable in the wedding pictures.

Through this all, Deeks tried to keep his impatience at bay. He knew that they couldn't discuss the situation with Timmons in front of anyone outside NCIS. He was also tiring, fighting to keep his eyes open. He was distracted for a bit when Cindy had placed LC on the bed with him. The little guy had snuggled into Deeks's chest and fallen right asleep, Deeks's arm protectively wrapped around him. Eventually, the little family left as well.

Hetty and Granger also headed out, Julia in tow. Finally it was just him, Eric, Nell and Kensi. However, Eric and Nell were nowhere to be seen at the moment, having slipped out to get something to eat. They knew they were going to be here for a lot longer as they filled Deeks in on everything they had found during the three weeks he was away. Kensi left to go look for them at his insistence. He was tired of waiting, he thought, so tired. His head slipped sideways and he fell asleep, the events of the past two day catching up with him. When Kensi returned with Nell and Eric, they watched him for a while, debating quietly amongst themselves if they should wake him up to give him the information he wanted, or just let him sleep. Sleep won out and the two analysts left, promising to return as soon as Kensi gave them the word.

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A/N – Argh, I wish they would tell him already! I want to know what the twins dug up on the judge!


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Deeks woke up in his hospital bed for the second time. This time his head felt clearer and, when he turned his head, there was no nausea. Kensi was sitting in the chair next his bed, leafing through a magazine. He reached out and touched the arm closest to him. She looked up, smiled and said "There you are!"

"I fell asleep again, huh?"

"Yeah, you did. I think your body is trying to tell you something! Think maybe you should listen for a change?"

He tried to sit up a little more, wincing at the pain in his ribs and head. She quickly got up and helped arrange the pillows behind his head so that he wasn't lying flat anymore, placing a kiss on his head.

"How long this time? What time is it?"

"Just a couple hours and it's 4:00."

He sighed in frustration. "Doc isn't going to release me until tomorrow and even then I'm not going to be able to go right back to OSP. I feel like I'm never going to find out what Nell and Eric discovered! It's driving me nuts!"

She smiled at him. "They both said they'd come back and fill you in as soon as you woke up. I'll text Nell now." He grinned at her, pleased that the two would be willing to give up part of their Saturday to come back to the hospital again. Kensi texted Nell and her phone pinged back almost immediately. She looked up and smiled at him "They're on their way."

" _They're_ on their way, huh? Soooo, that means they were together when Nell got your text?"

Kensi grinned back at him, knowing exactly what he was getting at. She hadn't been able to pin Nell down on the actual status of her and Eric's relationship but she saw all the same signs in those two that had been there with her and Deeks. Evenings and weekends spent together, finishing each other's sentences, glances that they thought no one else saw, details they knew about each other than no one else did. She knew that, if anything really was going on beyond friendship, Nell would tell her when she was ready. Kensi and Deeks were both dying to know but remembered how they had felt it necessary to keep their own relationship a secret when it was new and uncertain. They would give Nell and Eric the same breathing room.

Kensi went to sit back down in her chair but Deeks captured her hand, tugging her closer to the bed. "Join me?"

"I'll hurt you. Besides, I'm pretty sure the hospital would frown on that."

"It won't hurt me any more than having you so far away is already doing. And since when do you care what hospital officials think?"

She smiled and gave in, carefully levering herself into position at his side, trying not to jostle his ribs any more than she had to. Once she was settled into place, her head on his shoulder, he put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. She raised her face to look at him and he captured her lips, telling her without words how happy he was she was beside him. Time passed and neither one noticed the door to the room open. Nell and Eric paused in the doorway and Eric cleared his throat. The two sprang apart, or at least Kensi sprung, Deeks being too sore to do much springing.

"Hey guys!" said Nell tightly "Look who we found out in the hallway." She moved into the room with Eric, allowing Hetty and Granger to move in behind them. Kensi tried to shimmy off the bed but Deeks held on to her tightly. It wasn't like they were doing anything wrong and everyone already knew about the two of them. Hetty just smiled at them and Granger looked like he was trying hard to find something, anything, to focus on other than the two in the bed. This time Kensi moved off the bed in a more natural, less guilty way, and this time he let her go.

"So! What do you two wunderkinds have for me? Please tell me it's enough to put that bastard behind bars for a very long time!" Deeks said, his eyes moving back and forth between Eric and Nell.

It was Hetty who answered. "Oh yes, indeed, Mr. Deeks. Yes indeed. With what these two have uncovered, we have every intention of going to SecNav, once all the research is done, tying it up with a nice neat little bow. It should be enough for her to go the House Judiciary Committee Task Force on Judicial Impeachment."

"Impeachment? Isn't that just the same as just getting fired? Does that mean he won't face any charges?"

This time Granger answered. "If we have anything to say about it, he'll be facing charges Deeks. The Judicial Committee does have the ability to prosecute if the evidence is there. And we intend to give them enough evidence to hang Judge Timmons." Granger was angry. He hadn't been entirely convinced that Deeks's suspicions would be proven out. Then they had found out that his suspicions were just the tip of the iceberg. Cases from just about every alphabet agency in the United States had been compromised by the actions of Judge Timmons and he planned on making it his life's work to make sure the man paid.

Hetty gestured to Nell and Eric. "Since you two found the evidence, we'll let you do the honor of filling in Mr. Deeks."

Nell snapped open her tablet. "We dug through the judge's financial records as far back as they existed. There was nothing out of the ordinary. It was then that Eric decided to go at it from a different angle by looking into Steven Parks. He started looking into his financials beginning just after he was acquitted and moving backwards. He found a $500,000.00 withdrawal just before the trial started, deposited to an offshore account in the Cayman Islands."

Eric took over the narrative. "I was able to hack into the bank where the deposit was made and found the account it was made to is registered to a Marilyn Bullock. As of today, the balance is a little over 25 million dollars, US. With a little more digging, we discovered that Ms. Bullock was the housekeeper for the Timmons when Mitchell Timmons was growing up."

"So, a housekeeper with an account in the Caymans? With a balance in the millions? I'm going to go out on a limb and say we don't think the account is hers." Deeks said.

"Hardly. Ms. Bullock died in 2001; a year before Mitchell Timmons was confirmed as a federal judge. The account wasn't opened in her name until 2003." replied Eric.

"2003? That's long before the Parks case. Are you saying Timmons has been taking bribes for over a decade?" Deeks found his voice rising.

"Yes, that's exactly what we're saying. The deposits have been ongoing for years, varying in amount from a hundred thousand to three quarters of a million dollars. Nell and I are still matching the timing of the deposits up to cases Timmons was presiding on. So far, every deposit has matched up to a case where the defendant was unexpectedly acquitted, due directly to the actions of the judge."

Deeks was stunned. He'd known the man was dirty, just not this dirty. How many criminals ended back up on the streets due to his greed?

Eric cleared his throat "Deeks, there's more."

He frowned at his friend, how could there be more to this?

"We found withdrawals made from the account starting a little over three years ago, before that only money came in, none went back out. We were able to back track them and found all were payments made to parents of students who went to school with Paul Timmons."

"So, I was right? Paul Timmons had been in trouble before attacking Meaghan and the judge bought him out of it? How many?"

"Enough. Sam and Callen are working their way through the list. So far, they've been able to get testimony from two other girls that Paul attacked and attempted to rape them. One girl that was on the list…" Eric hesitated and Deeks glared at him. "Deeks, she committed suicide. Her mom and dad split up after that. Her mom was the only one we could find and she admitted that they had taken money from the judge to drop the charges. Her daughter started having issues at school, acting out. Eventually, she hung herself."

Deeks closed his eyes and gripped handfuls of the covers. He could feel the rage building in him. Katie, Michael, their unborn child, Meaghan, these unnamed girls…how many others had suffered due to this one man.

He opened his eyes and looked directly at Granger. "I want to be there when they arrest him. I want to see his face when he realizes I'm responsible for all this coming to light. I want to be the one to snap the cuffs on that arrogant bastard!"

Granger hesitated and then nodded. Deeks was right, if he hadn't been suspicious, if he hadn't kept pushing, hadn't gotten NCIS involved, how much longer would this have gone on? He deserved to have every one of his demands met. They all rehashed the information a while longer and then left to let Deeks get some much needed rest. Kensi stayed with him until visiting hours were officially over, trying to get him to calm down and finally succeeding. She kissed him goodbye and promised to be back the next day to pick him up and take him home. She was staying at his place; taking care of Monty so would make sure everything would be ready for his return home.

Once she left and he was totally alone, he thought back over the revelations of the day. He sighed; he'd never understand how someone who was supposed to uphold the law would turn his back on it for money. He had a hard time getting to sleep that night.

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Two months later he strode in the law offices of Miller, Miller and Crosby once again. This time, ostensibly, to offer a settlement on behalf of Meaghan and her parents, offering to drop the charges against Paul for an undisclosed monetary payment. In reality, he had an arrest warrant in his breast pocket and back up waiting outside in the form of his NCIS team. He was scheduled to meet with Ken Crosby and Judge Timmons in just a few minutes. He had chafed at the amount of time it had taken to reach this point but, they had had to be sure that everything was tight and above board. Eric hacking into a Cayman Islands bank may not have fallen into the latter category. Getting the information through proper channels had been excruciating. It had helped that they knew exactly what they were looking for, seeing as they actually already had it. Once everything had been presented to SecNav, she had wasted no time notifying the committee. They, in turn, had agreed to prosecute, going so far as to allow the judge to be taken into NCIS custody. To say that this was going to be embarrassing to the whole federal court circuit was an understatement. Some, Deeks included, suspected that it would have been dealt with quietly, perhaps even just a slap on the wrist, if so many outsiders hadn't already been involved.

Deeks smiled, he was planning on enjoying the next half hour greatly. Ken Crosby suspected something was going on. He and Deeks had spoken on the phone several times since their first meeting, Ken's dislike of Judge Timmons becoming more and more apparent to Deeks. He had made sure that everyone involved knew that Ken was not complicit in the judge's dealings. Pausing outside the door the secretary had shown him to, he pulled on his shirt sleeves to make sure he was neat and presentable. Schooling his features, he entered the room to find the two men seated at the table, waiting on him.

"Timmons. Ken."

Timmons lip curled and he looked at Deeks like something he had dragged in on his shoes. "I see that slut of a client of yours has finally come to her senses. I hope she isn't expecting too big a payoff from this!"

"Oh, I doubt you could give her much of a payoff, _Mr._ Timmons. All your bank accounts, both here and in the Caymans have been frozen." He pulled the warrant out of his pocket and placed it on the table. "Mitchell Timmons, you are under arrest for accepting bribes and unfairly influencing the outcome of federal cases for your own benefit. Please stand up and place your hands behind your back." He was really hoping Timmons wouldn't comply. His hopes were met.

"Do you know who you're talking to? I'll have your license to practice law revoked! I'll have LAPD fire your ass so fast you won't know what hit you! You won't work anywhere in law enforcement ever again when I get done with you! You'll be lucky to get a job cleaning toilets! I'll ruin you!"

"Mr. Timmons, you are a soon to be former federal court judge, about to be indicted on corruption charges and impeached from your position. I really don't think you could get me a parking ticket at an expired meter right now! Stand up and place your hands behind you! Do _NOT_ make me ask you again!"

Timmons lunged at Deeks who sidestepped neatly. He knocked the judge to the floor and knelt on his back, pulling his hands behind him and slapping on the cuffs. He left the man on the floor, screaming threats and thrashing around as he held out his hand to Ken Crosby. "Nice to see you again, Ken."

"You too, Deeks, you too." Ken Crosby said, grasping the proffered hand and shaking it hard. The two looked at each other and then down at the former judge, lying on the floor staring daggers at them. He looked back at Deeks and said "Want to do lunch sometime?"

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A/N – Finally! I was starting to think he'd never get what was coming to him! If you like this chapter, leave a review and any suggestions for further chapters. If you didn't like it leave a review and let me know why. I don't know much about the federal court system so relied heavily on Google but all mistakes are mine!


	24. Chapter 24

A/N – I've received so many excellent suggestions for chapters in this six chapter story! This one begins incorporating several at the same time.

Hoosier65 – thanks for asking for more Deeks in a top hat.

Honus 47 – thanks for the suggestion about Cassie's wedding and a song for her

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Chapter 24

Kensi rolled over on her back and groaned. What had possessed her to drink so much last night? She reached over to Deeks's side of the bed to find it empty and cold. She cracked open one eye and closed it again. Too bright! Moving ever so slowly, she rolled over on her side and opened the eye again, just a crack this time, to look at the bedside clock. 10:30? Thank God today was Saturday. She then noticed the other items on the bedside table; a glass of water and bottle of aspirin. She smiled slightly, he knew her so well. Her hangover headaches were legendary. Thankfully she didn't get nauseous on top of them. Very carefully she levered herself up and sat on the edge of the bed. Her head was literally going to explode. She looked at the aspirin bottle and moaned softly. She didn't think she had the strength to even attempt to open it. Reaching out slowly, she grabbed it and tried the top only to find it already loosened. She would have to reward him later and, knowing just what he would suggest as his reward, she felt a shiver go down her spine. So not the time to be thinking about that! She shook three of the pills into her hand and washed them down with the water.

She sat quietly for a couple minutes, thinking about last night. It had been a girl's night out with Michelle, Joelle, Nell, Cindy and Laura. Cassie and Paula hadn't been able to make it as Cassie's mother was in town to talk wedding. Cindy had been the designated driver as she was still nursing Little Chris. She'd gotten them into a local club where Chris's band played from time to time. The manager had seated the group in the VIP area and started them off with a bottle of free champagne. It had all gone downhill from there. She wondered if any of the others who had been drinking last night felt as bad as she did this morning. Who would have guessed that _Laura Shelton_ , old money debutante, wife of a Navy Admiral, could put them away like that? She'd pretty much drunk all of them under the table. Kensi barely remembered the ride home. She had a vague memory of Deeks gently putting her to bed. She looked down at her clothes. She was dressed in one of his t-shirts and her favorite pair of sleeping shorts. Ok, now she really owed him. She smiled, realizing she'd had a really good time last night. Since she and Deeks had finally given in and started a relationship outside work, her circle of girlfriends had grown. Who knew one needed a boyfriend for that to happen? On top of that, she could be herself with these women. They either knew what she did or at least that she was in law enforcement like him. It made it so much easier to have fun when you weren't worrying about blowing your 'what I do for work' cover story.

The guys had had a night out as well, although she didn't think playing poker, drinking beer and smoking cigars at Callen's could be considered a night out. They'd had to all bring their own chairs for Pete's sake! She hoped they'd had as good a time as the girls had. She shook her head and regretted it immediately as her head reminded her of it's presence. It would take a while for the aspirin to kick in but right now she needed the bathroom badly. She levered herself off the bed and shuffled carefully out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. After taking care of business and washing her face with cold water, she felt a little more human. She wandered out into the living room to find Deeks sitting on the couch, his cell phone held loosely in one hand and a piece of paper in the other. He was staring off into space, not even noticing her presence. She frowned, now worried that something was wrong. He was never this still and he would never just ignore an opportunity like this. At the least, he should be making some snarky comment about the condition she'd come home in last night.

"Deeks?" she asked quietly. When there was no response she asked again, louder this time "Deeks? What's wrong? Is someone hurt?"

He startled and turned to her. "What? Oh, no. No, no, no, nothing like that. I just called Paula to tell her that I got the paperwork confirming my ordination to perform the wedding and she told me they finalized the wedding plans last night with her and Cassie's moms."

"So why do you look like someone just died?"

"They've decided to do a themed wedding. A formal ball of all things! The men all have to wear top hats and tails! There's no way I can get out of this, I already told them I'd officiate. The guys are never going to let me live this down!"

Kensi immediately felt guilt wash over her. This _might_ be her fault. She _may_ have told Cassie and Paula a few weeks ago about the time the guys had pranked Deeks with top hat, cane and white gloves. She may _also_ have repeated Hetty's slightly disturbing comment about men in top hats being intoxicating and her wondering what Deeks would look like dressed up like that. She knew she'd gone all dreamy eyed at the image in her head but she hadn't thought they'd take her comments seriously and end up doing a themed wedding. Her face reflected her feelings and Deeks narrowed his eyes at her. She knew immediately that he suspected. If she hadn't been so hungover, she thought, she would have had a better poker face.

"Kensi Marie Blye! Did you have something to do with this?"

"Um..." was her brilliant response.

"You did! What could you have possibly said that would make them go in this direction?"

"Um, I might have said I thought you'd look very handsome dressed in top hat and tails. After all, you do own one."

He looked at her in amazement and then said "You do realize you're going with me and are going to have to dress in the appropriate style as well. I'm also pretty sure that they're going to invite your little circle of drinking buddies from last night, which means Sam, Callen, Chris, Eric and Admiral Shelton are all going to have to dress up as well!" He knew he shouldn't feel better at the sight of her mouth dropping open but he couldn't suppress it. He started to smile when he remembered the other shoe.

"Crap, they also want me to write a song for them as a wedding present! Kens, what am I going to do? I still haven't come up with something for Joelle or Michelle. The guys have kind of forgotten about it but if it gets out that I'm writing a song for the wedding, it's all going to heat up again! They also gave me the date for the wedding. It's only two months away! I'm toast!" his voice rose with each sentence, sending shock waves through her head. She winced and he was instantly contrite. "I'm sorry! How's your head this morning, Fern? You were totally hammered when you got home at the very _early_ hour of 2 AM."

He reached out to her and she sat gingerly on the couch next to him. He moved over, put a pillow in his lap and pulled her down so that her head was on the pillow. He started rubbing her temples and scalp and she moaned at how good it felt. "I'm sorry Deeks! I never thought they would take an offhand story and turn it into their wedding. I never would have said anything if I had known!"

He sighed. "It's not all your fault, Kensalina. It's not like you twisted their arms. Cassie and Paula have always done their own thing, if they hadn't liked the idea; nothing you did or said would have made them pick this as their wedding theme."

She snuggled deeper into the pillow, glad he wasn't really angry with her. She would deal with the rest of her team when the invitations were received. "You know, there's really no reason why you can't write those songs. You're very talented and shouldn't have to be in pain and hurting to be able to produce something beautiful. The song you guys played at Studio 6 wasn't all about losing someone, part of it was about finding someone too. That wasn't written from pain. You should try to recapture that feeling."

He went quiet for a while, his only movement his hands on her head, trying to sooth away the headache he knew from experience was making her feel awful. Was she right? Was he just assuming he couldn't do it? If he was honest with himself, he hadn't really tried. He'd just put it off until something more important had taken its place in the lives of his male teammates. He looked down to let her know what he was thinking only to find her sound asleep, her mouth slightly open and looking for all the world like a slightly tousled angel. He leaned his head back on the couch cushions and started humming under his breath. He closed his eyes and tried to picture the chords in his head. The words would come later, that's how he always composed. Maybe, just maybe, he could do this.


	25. Chapter 25

A/N - usialum85 asked for a little Densi fluff - hope this works!

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Chapter 25

It was a couple of hours later when Kensi was startled awake by the sound of her text message notification, blaring out the red alert sound Deeks hated. She reached out and grabbed the phone off the coffee table. While doing so, she realized her headache was gone. The aspirin and her impromptu nap had done wonders for her. Checking her phone, she saw it was just after one in the afternoon. She looked up and found Deeks smiling down at her. "Welcome back sleepy head! I'm guessing your head doesn't hurt any more or that text alert would have sent you into orbit with me."

She smiled back at him and said "I feel soooo much better! But, I can't believe you sat here for over two hours with nothing to do while I slept!" She had noticed that the television remote was still on the coffee table along with his cell phone. He would not have been able to reach either without disturbing her. He had just sat there not moving the whole time while she slept like the dead. Considering he was seldom still, that was quite an accomplishment.

"I wouldn't say I had nothing to do. I was thinking about what you said, about trying to recapture the good feelings that I used for that song. I've spent the last two hours composing in my head and I think I actually might be able to do this." His face was serious as he looked down at her.

"Really? I'm so proud of you! Will you let me hear it before it's done or do I have to wait? Please don't make me wait!"

"Actually, I think I'd like it if you helped me with it. Then it would really be _our_ wedding present to them." She reached up and pulled his head down to hers, kissing him lightly. When she went to pull away, he put his hand behind her head and deepened the kiss. Things were just about to get interesting when her text alert sounded again, three quick bursts meaning three more texts, followed shortly by his doing the same. "Somebody really wants to talk to us." he sighed against her lips. "To be continued?" She nodded and sighed in turn, irritated at the interruption at such an inconvenient time.

She rolled onto her back and readjusted herself on his lap. When she read the first text she started laughing. It was from Nell and had been sent to the whole group who'd gone out last night. It consisted of just one word.

' _Ow'_

The next text was from Joelle to the group and was a little longer.

' _I'm never drinking again. I'm a school teacher! I should know better!'_

Michelle's came next.

' _I am sooo never going out with you people ever again!'_

The last was from Laura.

' _You guys are all such light weights!'_

Kensi showed her phone to Deeks to let him read them for himself. He chuckled as he read them all and then looked at his phone. "Can you hand me mine? I can't reach it sitting like this, unless you want to get up?" Kensi shook her head no and reached out and snagged his cell off the coffee table and handed it to him. His texts were from Eric, Sam and Callen. He grinned as he was pretty sure what they were all in reference to. He opened Eric's first.

' _I am never letting Nell go out with your girlfriend again! Do you have any idea how sick she feels right now?'_

Deeks grinned and texted back.

' _Good luck with that buddy! Let me know how it works out for you. I'll have the first aid kit ready and waiting after you try to tell Nell what she can and can't do!'_

He handed his phone to Kensi for her to read their text exchange. She looked back up at him and smirked. "All the evidence is starting to pile up that those two have something going on!" He nodded in agreement and took back the phone to go through the rest of his texts.

The next was from Sam.

' _I can't believe she let the mother of my children get that drunk! Tell her we are going to be having a serious discussion about limits on Monday!'_

Deeks wasn't even going to respond to that one. The next was from Callen and was one word like Nell's.

' _Really?'_

He shook his head as he wondered why the guys were texting him. It wasn't like he had been out with the group of women, getting them all liquored up. He supposed he should feel lucky that he hadn't heard from the Admiral. His phone pinged again, he was almost afraid to look. This time it was Meaghan.

' _I hear my mom drank your girlfriend under the table. Score one for Team Shelton!'_

He chuckled and showed the text to Kensi who frowned. Ok, it was on! Next time they'd see who drank who under what table! Team Blye would be ready, willing and able! Suddenly Kensi's stomach growled and they both laughed. "Feed me Deeks!" She got up off the couch and offered her hand to help him up. They decided to head to the beach and get something from one of the food trucks. Deeks grabbed up Monty's leash and whistled for him. The three of them proceeded to spend the next few hours eating and playing on the beach, enjoying the sun, sand, water and each other.

The first thing Deeks did when they got home was to dig out his music composition book as well as the guitar and violin cases. Paula had told him that Vivid Dreams had agreed to play at the wedding, as Chris and Cindy's wedding present to the two. Knowing the band as well as he did made him feel that it would make it easier to put something together as he was writing for friends, rather than for strangers. He sat on the couch with the book open on the coffee table. Kensi sat on the floor at his feet, watching as he got lost in the music, his hand moving feverishly as he wrote down the notes to what he had already composed in his head while Kensi was napping, as well as some riffs that had come to him on the beach. Once done, he put down the pencil and pulled the violin out of its case. He looked at Kensi nervously as he started to play what he had written so far; worried that she'd hate it. He decided he couldn't watch the disappointment show up on her face so he closed his eyes and played what he had heard in his head.

She sat and watched him, her mouth slightly open as the beautiful music washed over her. When he was done, he looked at her expectantly and she didn't know what to say. "You hated it, didn't you?" he sighed when she couldn't make a sound.

Breaking out of her trance she said "Are you kidding me? Deeks, that was _so_ beautiful! I can't believe you carry that around in that head of yours! If the rest of the song turns out like that, Cassie and Paula are going to be beyond happy! It will totally make theirs one of the most memorable weddings ever, to have such a wonderful original song written and played just for them." She hugged his knees, pleased to see his face light up with that smile that never ceased to make her whole body catch on fire. She stood up and took the violin from his hand and placed it carefully in the case. She reached out her hand and said "I believe we have something to continue from earlier?" His eyes dilated and he grabbed her hand, jumping up from the couch.

"You better believe it!" and tugged her towards the bedroom. She smiled and went willingly.


	26. Chapter 26

A/N – this started out in my head as a standalone one shot but I decided to incorporate it into this story line.

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Chapter 26

"Kensi, just tell me what it is I supposedly did!"

"Deeks, just leave it alone! We have almost four more hours until we land in L.A. and I plan on using them to sleep. Why don't you do the same?" With that Kensi turned her head away from him and closed her eyes, hoping he would just stop asking. She wasn't ready to tell him what was really bothering her. She wished she could just hit rewind and go back to the weekend. It had been a great two days with both of them working on Cassie and Paula's wedding song. He'd said it was like a dam burst open in his head and all these ideas had started to come to him. She'd found him hunched over the music book before dawn on both Sunday and Monday morning. She'd let it slide on Sunday but Monday she'd dragged him back to bed, reminding him that they needed to be at work in just a few hours. He'd reluctantly gone with her.

"Kens, you know I had to take that shot! He had his _gun_ pointed at your head, there is no _way_ you would've been able to take care of it yourself! I don't understand why you're angry with me about this!"

She refused to respond, keeping her eyes closed. The team had spent a long three days tracking an arms dealer from L.A. to Boston, trying to recover explosives stolen from Seal Beach. It had come to a head that morning. Nell and Eric had finally managed to track the thieves to an abandoned warehouse on the waterfront where they would be meeting with a buyer. The team had taken them down and thought it was all over when one man they hadn't accounted for got the drop on her. She had been bringing her own gun around to cover him when Deeks had appeared and shot the guy. She'd gone off on him, saying that she'd had it under control, that she didn't need him to come to her rescue like she was some weak damsel in distress. He had just stood there, open mouthed, as she ranted and raved at him.

She couldn't tell him that it wasn't his shooting the guy that had her in turmoil. That it was his actions from the night before that had her all turned around. The team had decided to go out for pizza and beer at a little restaurant down the street from their hotel. There had been a little league team there, celebrating a win, when they'd walked in. The restaurant had a back room with video games and pinball machines and most of the kids had eventually disappeared into it. Deeks had eaten one piece of pizza before he'd been sucked into the back room with them. She hadn't been mad at him for leaving; Deeks just naturally gravitated to kids. They'd been able to hear the kids laughter interspersed with his deeper rumbling one. At one point they had heard a high pitched female voice yell "That's so not fair Marty!" and they'd all chuckled. The coach had finally rounded the kids up to take them home and the group had left the restaurant to choruses of "Bye Marty!"

He'd come back to the table grinning from ear to ear, talking about how when he had kids he hoped they would play sports, boy or girl. _When_ not _if_ he had kids. How he'd be involved in whatever they chose to do. Sam and Callen hadn't helped. Sam had talked about how Aiden and Kamran had completed his world, how he loved being a father. Callen had once again said he was thinking about having a family of his own, now that he and Joelle were doing so well. She'd remained silent. They all knew she didn't really like kids, Deeks included, and here he was talking about what he was going to do when he was a father. She wasn't sure she would ever want to be a mother, she didn't think she would be any good at it. He hadn't said he loved her yet, but she was pretty sure he did. Didn't he? Did he just assume that they would eventually get married and have kids? Or was she just convenient for the moment while he waited for a more suitable woman to enter his life? A woman who would be happy to bear his children?

She'd been quiet the rest of the night and had refused to go to his room with him when they got back to the hotel. They all had their own rooms but he'd assumed she'd be spending the night with him. He'd looked so hurt when she'd said she was going to her room, alone. She'd tossed and turned all night, getting no sleep at all, thinking and worrying. She didn't see him again until they got the call from OSP the next morning with the news that the wonder twins had tracked down the location of the buy and they'd all headed out. When the guy had snuck up on her and Deeks had taken him out before he could shoot her, she'd reacted angrily. The worry about what he was thinking about their future together, the fact that if they did have kids and this had happened, it might leave their children orphaned or with only one parent, had caused her to freak and she'd taken it out on him. Instead of thanking him for saving her life, she had let him believe that she was angry at him for doing so. She knew she was going to have to apologize and tell him what was really going on. A crowded plane, however, was not the place and she needed time to figure out how to broach the subject. Sleep finally claimed her as she planned that conversation in her head.

Deeks watched his girlfriend pretend to sleep, wondering what the hell was going on in that beautiful head of hers. He knew he had done the right thing that morning. He'd gone over it in his head, replaying the scenario over and over and each time his shooting the guy was the only possible move. It had nothing to do with her being his girlfriend or his thinking she couldn't take care of herself. He knew better than anyone that she could, she was his Kickass Kensi. He would have done the same if it had been Sam or Callen. He hoped they would do the same if it had been him in her position. When her breathing evened out and he realized she had actually fallen asleep he found his emotions changing from confusion and worry to anger. If she couldn't tell him what was really bothering her, what chance did they have for a future? He leaned back in his seat and closed his own eyes. They would be having a serious talk when they got home.

With his eyes closed he tried to clear his head as the sounds of the crowded plane suddenly came to his attention. The not so quiet snores of the guy in the window seat on the other side of Kensi. The music that seeped out of the headphones of the kid across the aisle from him. He could hear a baby crying from somewhere in the back of the plane. Someone wasn't happy. The two flight attendants walked by his seat talking softly. "I told her I was sorry. That the plane was full and there was nowhere I could move her to. I feel for the poor baby's mother. Bad enough that she can't get the little one to stop crying but having that woman sitting next to her, glaring and making snide comments, can't be helping." Deeks thought for a moment and decided it might be a good idea to put some space between him and Kensi. It was all he could do not to shake her awake and have it out with her. He knew that would only make things worse but he was rapidly reaching the point where he didn't care. He stood up and followed the two to the front of the plane.

"Excuse me? I happened to overhear your conversation about the woman sitting next to the crying baby. Would it help if I offered to switch seats with her?" he asked.

Both turned to look at him. The woman, whose nametag said Susan, asked "It certainly would but why would you do that?"

"I like babies and their crying doesn't bother me." he replied. He knew it wasn't the whole story but a crying baby really didn't bother him and it would allow him the space he needed between him and Kensi, something he wouldn't be able to get otherwise on the fully booked plane.

Susan looked at him suspiciously and he sighed. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his badge to show it her. "Detective Marty Deeks, LAPD. I'm not a pervert, I promise."

Susan blushed and said "I'm sorry but you just have to be so careful these days. If you really don't mind changing seats with that woman, it would make our lives so much easier. She's been complaining pretty much since we got in the air."

"No worries and I really don't mind." he smiled at her and she felt a little flutter in her stomach. She found herself grinning back.

Turning to her male counterpart she said "Cliff, could you start to get the food and drink cart ready. I'll go make the seat changes. I should be right back." Cliff nodded and added his thanks to Susan's. Heading towards the back of the plane Susan said again "Detective Deeks, thank you so much for doing this."

"It's Marty."

"Susan."

They passed his assigned seat where Kensi was still sound asleep. Deeks indicated which one was his and they continued on. They passed Sam and Callen. Sam was asleep and Callen had his nose buried in a newspaper. He didn't bother to say anything to them. When they finally got to his new seat, the woman sitting in it had her arms folded across her chest and was glaring at the young woman and baby in the seat next to her. "Ma'am? This gentleman has kindly agreed to change seats with you if you'd like."

The woman immediately unbuckled her seat belt, gathered her things and stood up. She started up the aisle with a "Thank God."

Deeks watched her go and said "You're welcome!" The woman never turned around.

"Thanks again for doing this Marty. _Some_ of us really appreciate it." Susan said as she started after the woman, wanting to be sure she sat in the correct seat. It wouldn't do to have someone come back from the bathroom and find that harpy in their spot.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Deeks sat and buckled himself in. Turning to the young woman holding the crying baby he said "Hope you don't mind a different seat mate?"

She smiled tiredly at him. "I'm grateful, that woman was horrible. I'm really sorry; I just don't know what's the matter with her. She's usually such a good baby. I've tried everything, but she's not hungry, she doesn't need a diaper change. I just don't know what else to do."

Deeks watched her bounce the baby up and down, rubbing her back. Something about her body language made him ask "Do you like to fly?"

She looked at him, surprised. "What? No, I hate it. Actually it scares the crap out me and I only fly when there's no other choice." She looked down at her baby. "I didn't think driving across the country with a baby was a smart idea. Now I'm wishing I had."

Deeks smiled at her and said "Can I try holding her for a bit?"

She hesitated and said "I don't know you."

"Detective Marty Deeks LAPD, at your service."

"Isabelle Peters."

"See, now we're not strangers." He smiled at her and she smiled back.

Handing him the baby, she said "Good luck."

"What's her name? "

"Melanie."

"Hi Melanie, what's the matter little one?" he put his arm under her butt and started rubbing her back with his other as she rested on his chest. The baby looked up at him and stopped crying for a moment, taking in the stranger now holding her. She pushed herself back a little, grabbing handfuls of his t-shirt in her little hands. "I'm Marty, Melanie. Pleased to meet you." He grinned down at her. She hiccoughed and then opened her mouth. Expecting her to start crying again, he was surprised when she yawned widely and put her head back down. He waited a couple minutes and she still didn't start crying again.

He looked over at Isabelle who said "What? How did you do that?"

"I think she might have picked up on your fear and crying was the only way she had to deal with it." She reached out for the baby and he went to move her back to Isabelle. Melanie tightened her hands on his t-shirt and started crying again. He patted her back and she settled back down. "Looks like I have a new friend."

"I'm sorry. I'm sure this isn't what you expected when you offered to switch seats. I hope you don't regret it too much?"

"How can I regret having a beautiful girl sleep in my arms?" he joked with her. She smiled at him in relief. "So, why are you guys on your way to L.A.? Vacation? Trip home to see family?"

Her smiled faded and she sighed. "We're moving home. Melanie and I are going to stay with my folks for a while, until I get my feet under me again."

"I hope you don't mind me asking but, where's Melanie's father? Is he not in the picture?"

"Stereotypical sad story. Girl meets boy, falls in love, follows boy across the country, girl gets pregnant and dumped by said boy. He tried; at least I think he did. About a month ago he tells me he doesn't want a family, packs up and moves out. I found out later he'd met someone else and moved in with her that same day. So now I'm moving back home with my tail between my legs and a baby on board."

"It's his loss Isabelle. Any man would be lucky to have you and Melanie in their lives."

She smiled at him again. "How many kids do you have?" She hadn't seen a wedding ring but thought maybe he couldn't wear one in his line of work. He certainly was good with babies, enough so to make her think he had kids of his own.

"None. Yet. But, I have the most amazing woman in my life and I know she'll be a great mom. It's just a little early yet."

"I think you'll be a great dad Marty. You're a natural."

"You couldn't pay me a greater compliment. Are your mom and dad looking forward to having their granddaughter come to live with them?"

"Yes and no. They love Melanie and I know they love me. I'm just not looking forward to their "I told you so's". I feel like such a failure."

"No one who follows their heart is ever a failure, Isabelle. And look what you created, this beautiful little girl who will fill the rest of your life with joy. I take it they didn't like the boy in the story?"

"No, they disliked him from the moment they met him. I should have listened to them but I was head over heels in love and ready to follow him anywhere. I thought he felt the same. Now I'm broke and need to live in my parent's basement until I can get a job and my own place. Plus I need to worry about daycare. It's going to be hard being a working single parent."

"What do you do for work?"

"I'm a legal secretary. I'm hoping it won't take me very long to find a job but I don't know what the market is like right now."

Deeks thought of his friends and acquaintances who were lawyers. He wondered if any of them needed secretarial help. For some reason, Ken Crosby popped into his head. After he had arrested Timmons at Ken's office, the two of them had become friends. Ken heartily disliked the judge and had convinced his firm not to represent Timmons in his upcoming trial. He was a nice guy, somewhat soft spoken for a lawyer and not married. He looked at Isabelle speculatively and said "I know a lot of lawyers both from law school and when I was a Public Defender. I can ask around and see if anyone's hiring."

Isabelle frowned at him. "I thought you said you were a police detective."

"I am. I'm also a lawyer, just not a practicing one. Look, I'll give you my card and, if you want to, once you get settled give me a call and I'll start looking." He reached into his back pocket, being careful not to disturb Melanie, and pulled out his badge. Behind his picture he kept his business cards. He pulled one out and handed it to her.

"I don't know what to say. This is incredibly kind of you!"

"You'll have to do all the work, all I can do is find out where there are openings."

"It's still very kind of you to offer that kind of help to a stranger."

"Ah, but remember, we're not strangers anymore, are we?"

She giggled and nodded. They continued to talk, mostly about inconsequential things, when Deeks yawned hard enough to crack his jaw. He hadn't slept last night, worried about Kensi and missing her in his bed. On top of that, he hadn't been sleeping well since the weekend, with all this music running around in his head. "Why don't I take her back Marty and you can get some sleep." He nodded and tried once again to hand Melanie back to her mother, this time with as little success as the first time. The baby wouldn't let go and he didn't want to force her.

He smiled at Isabelle and said "I guess I'll be keeping her. I can sleep, even with her resting on me. Just keep an eye open that she doesn't start to slide." She nodded and he closed his eyes, asleep in seconds. She watched him, wishing she had met him when they were both unattached. She found herself wishing he was Melanie's dad; he was so kind and obviously loved children. He'd been asleep for almost an hour when she noticed a beautiful brunette standing in the aisle, eyes locked on Marty, her mouth open in astonishment.

Kensi had woken up feeling guilty and decided she would apologize to Deeks right now and tell him they needed to talk once they got home. She turned to him and was stunned to find an older woman in his seat, reading a book. "Excuse me? Why are you in that seat? Where's the man who was sitting there?"

The woman sighed, put a finger in her book to mark her place and looked at Kensi in annoyance. "He switched seats with me so I could get away from that crying baby. I hope you don't plan on being chatty. I don't need a new friend!" She turned back to her book.

It was all Kensi could do not to say something snarky about her needing all the friends she could get, if that was how she behaved with people. Instead, she said "What crying baby?"

The woman looked up, annoyed at being spoken to again, and shrugged. "I guess the mother finally got the little brat to shut up. Now, please stop bothering me." Kensi wondered if she could get away with slugging her. How could Deeks have switched seats with this nasty piece of work and left her here alone to deal with the woman? She unbuckled her seatbelt and stood up; squeezing by her, grateful that there was enough room to do so. She could only imagine how aggravated the woman would get if she actually had to stand up to let Kensi out. Once in the aisle, she scanned the plane. She found Sam and Callen talking quietly several rows behind her. Finally, she saw the top of her boyfriend's shaggy blonde head almost all the way to the back. She started towards him, stopping to exchange a couple words with the boys.

As she moved closer she could see he was asleep but was holding something. When she saw the baby curled up on his chest, his arms wrapped protectively around it, her mouth dropped open and her world shifted. She found herself wishing it was their baby he was holding like that. He would be such a great dad, maybe it would make up for any shortcomings on her part. Suddenly, having children, if it were with this man, didn't seem like such a horrible idea. They would have to work out the logistics, both of them worked a very dangerous job but they could figure it out, they always did. She blinked a couple times; feeling teary eyed and got control of herself. She walked up beside his seat, her eyes locked on the picture the two of them sleeping made. She reached out and brushed a lock of hair off his forehead.

"Kens?" he said as he opened his eyes. She knew from experience that he wasn't awake. The man could have entire conversations with you while still asleep.

"Shhh. Go back to sleep." She whispered, reaching out to stroke his cheek.

"K. I love you." and closed his eyes again.

Her hand froze halfway to his face. Did he really just say he loved her for the first time and he was asleep when he did it? Her hand finally continued its journey and she stroked his cheek. "I love you too." she said softly.

Feeling someone watching her, she turned to the woman in the seat next to Deeks. She must be the baby's mother. The woman smiled sadly at her and said "You're a very lucky woman."

Kensi smiled back and said "I know."

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A/N – sorry if this was a little sappy but I just finished watching season 6 on DVD and noticed that Deeks brought up kids a couple times. When he did it seemed like Kensi scurried away or just looked scared. I think baby talk might come up next season, especially with Deeks's mom showing up.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Deeks startled awake when the captain announced their final descent into L.A. He looked down to find Melanie was staring up at him with those big brown eyes. He grinned at her and said "Hey little one. How long have you been awake, missy?"

"She woke up just seconds before you did Marty." he looked over to find Isabelle smiling at him. He smiled back, happy they were almost home. His smile faded as he realized he would either be having an uncomfortable conversation with Kensi shortly or maybe, just maybe, a knockdown, drag out fight. Isabelle tilted her head at him and frowned. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing. Just something I need to deal with after we land." he replied and pasted the smile back on his face. They talked a bit more about her plans once she got settled back in her old home and he made her promise to call him when she started looking for a job. When they landed, he asked "What do you want to do? Try to get off now or wait for the plane to empty before trying to take Melanie down the aisle?"

"Would you mind waiting? Everyone gets up and then goes nowhere anyway."

"That's fine with me. " he looked back down at the baby and asked her "You okay with that Melly?" He heard Isabelle laugh at the silly nickname. They had to get up to let the guy in the window seat out but then sat back down to wait for the mad rush out the door to calm down. When they were pretty much the only ones left, they got up and Isabelle gathered her and Melanie's things. On the way down the aisle he peeked into the overhead where he had put his go bag only to find it empty. He figured Kensi must have it.

On the jet way, Kensi had stopped to wait for the rest of her team, carrying both her and Deeks's go bags. Sam and Callen joined her and Sam asked "Where's Deeks, Kens? Wasn't he seated next to you?"

Kensi looked towards the plane and said "He switched seats with another passenger who was unhappy being next to a crying baby. They were pretty much all the way in the back of the plane." She hmmphed. "I was stuck with that witch the rest of the way home."

"I didn't hear any crying baby." said Callen.

"Deeks." was all Kensi said.

Sam grinned and Callen just shook his head. "Well, almost everyone is off, so where the hell is he?"

They watched the open door to the plane and finally saw Deeks appear. He stopped to talk to the two attendants while holding a baby, with a small brunette woman standing by his side. They actually made a nice little family unit. The male attendant shook Deeks's hand while the woman gave him a quick peck on the cheek. As he walked away they could hear them saying "Bye Marty!"

He and the brunette stopped when they reached the trio. Deeks introduced Isabelle to his team and Sam helped her open the stroller that was waiting for her. Deeks carefully put Melanie in it and calmed her when she whimpered. He looked at Isabelle and asked "Are you sure your folks are going to be here to pick you two up?"

"Yes. They should be waiting by the luggage carousel. Marty, I can't thank you enough for all your help with Melanie."

"It was my pleasure. I'd like to go with you to the carousel, just to make sure the two of you meet up with your folks. Is that okay? I don't like the idea of the two of you alone."

"You don't need to do that! We'll be fine." Isabelle saw the determined look on his face and said "What about your friends, aren't they waiting for you to go home?"

"Guys?" he asked. All three nodded and said that they were fine with accompanying them to meet her folks. She sighed and gave in, secretly liking having an entourage as they went up the jet way and headed to pick up her luggage. When they arrived at the carousel, her mom and dad were waiting as expected and there were tearful hellos along with introductions. Finally the NCIS team said their good byes and headed to the parking garage. Sam and Callen had come in Sam's car and Deeks with Kensi. They split up at the cars, with promises to see each other at work in the morning.

Deeks got into the SRX, dreading the conversation he knew he and Kensi needed to have. Surprisingly she didn't say anything until they arrived at her place. He allowed the silence, figuring if he pushed it right now they would be saying things that they might not be able to be take back. When they pulled up she said "We need to talk, Deeks."

"Yes, we do." he replied "No time like the present?" She nodded and they both got out, grabbing their bags from the back seat. He followed her to her door in silence. Once in, he placed his by the door and folded his arms across his chest. "Okay Kensi, talk. What the hell was all that about this morning? What should I have done differently?"

"It wasn't about the shot Deeks." she started. She stopped, not sure how to proceed. This had been much easier in her head when she was sitting alone in her seat on the plane.

"What do you mean it wasn't about the shot? I've spent the whole day going over what happened in my head, trying different actions that all resulted in you getting killed! You've got me doubting my instincts! Do you know what could happen the next time something like this occurs? I could hesitate and get one of us killed!" his voice rose with each sentence. "If this wasn't about that, then what the hell was it about?"

"Kids!" she blurted out.

" _Kids?"_ he asked, taken completely by surprise. "What do kids have to do with you going off on me this morning about taking that shot?"

"Nothing! It's just…you came back to the table last night after playing with those little league kids and all you could talk about was when you had kids this and when you had kids that! We've never talked about our future and here you were talking about your children like it was a done deal! You knew I don't really like kids. I started to wonder if you were just assuming I'd give in or if…" she paused.

"Or if what?" he asked. When she didn't respond he continued. "Kensi, I was jazzed when I got back to the table. I never meant to assume anything. When the time came I figured we'd talk about it and, if you wanted kids, I would've been the happiest man on the planet. If you didn't, well, then I would've been content with you and a series of Monty's. You always tell me I can't communicate but neither can you! At least I've been working on it, trying hard, but I seem to be the only one. Now tell me what else you were going to say!"

She noticed that he'd spoken of their talking about kids in the past tense and that he hadn't once used any of the nicknames he had for her. What did that mean? He kept looking at her expectantly and she blurted out the rest of her thought. "I started wondering if you were just with me for now and if you would leave when you found someone more suitable for the white picket fence and 2.5 kids!" She looked down at the floor.

There was silence and then he said quietly "I'd _thought_ , I'd _hoped,_ that you knew me better than that Kensi! You know me better than anyone else in the world. If you could think that about me, what kind of man does that make me?" he paused. "Is that what you _really_ think of me Kensi? That I'm only with you to scratch an itch, all the while looking over your shoulder for, what, an incubator?" he whispered.

She looked up and saw the hurt on his face. She reached out a hand and said "Deeks…" and was devastated when he backed away from her touch.

"No. No, I need to go." he said and turned towards the door.

"Deeks, please! I didn't mean it like that!" she cried as he opened the door. "I love you! I love you so much it scares me!" she confessed.

He paused but didn't turn around, some of the tension going out of his body. "I love you too Kens." he said softly as he walked through the door and quietly closed it behind him. She looked at the door, waiting for it to reopen and for him to walk through, telling her it was okay, that they'd figure it out, they always did. When it finally dawned on her that that wasn't going to happen, she snapped out of her trance and ran to the door. Opening it, intending to go after him, she was just in time to see the taillights of his car heading away from her building. What the hell had she done?


	29. Chapter 29

A/N – If you read the original chapter 29, it's changed. The reviews I got said that Deeks let Kensi off too easy…less than 24 hours! I totally agreed with them so, here I go trying to make it better. I still don't own anything NCIS:LA related except my OC's!

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Chapter 29

Deeks blindly drove away from Kensi's apartment. He kept thinking about what she had said. Did she really have so little faith in him? Had he just been imagining what they meant to each other? He pulled into a parking space and realized he was at a favorite haunt of his, Steve's Place. He put the car in park and thought about what he needed to do to get his head on straight. Pulling out his phone, he called Monty's sitter, Mrs. Hudson. He needed to ask her to hold onto him for just a while longer. The phone rang and she picked up. "Marty? Are you home? Do you want me to bring Monty over?"

"No, Mrs. Hudson. Things didn't go quite as we expected and I'm going to be away for a few more days. Would it be okay for him to stay with you for a while longer? It shouldn't be much longer."

"Of course, dear. Monty is always welcome here. Is everything okay? You sound strange."

"What? No, no, everything is fine! It shouldn't be later than Monday." he forced cheerfulness into his voice. The woman knew him too well. She was a neighbor who had been looking after Monty pretty much since he had adopted him. "I'll pay you extra, of course."

"That's fine Marty. You're taking good care of yourself, right?"

"Yes, Mrs. Hudson. I always do." He hung up and wondered what he was going to do. He didn't want to go home. At this point, it was too full of Kensi. In his head, he went through the people he could call to try to talk this out with, but all of them had also become Kensi's friends. He looked at his watch. It was a little after 9:00 PM on Thursday night. There was no way he wanted to go into work tomorrow. He needed to call Hetty and ask for some time off but he didn't want to talk to her in person, she was too damn perceptive. She would instantly know that something was wrong and would probably deduce that the something was Kensi. He called her work line and got her voicemail as expected. He left a message that he was taking some personal time and would let her know if he would be in on Monday. He headed into the bar.

"Hey Marty! Long time no see! You want your usual beer?" asked Steve, who was the owner as well as bartender.

"No, Steve, feeling like something a little stronger tonight. How about scotch rocks?"

"Sure thing, coming right up!" Deeks headed to an empty table at the back of the little bar. He wanted to be sure that he didn't end up with any unwelcome company tonight. Steve brought the drink to the table and Marty thanked him and told him to keep them coming. Steve frowned, this was not like Marty but he wasn't his keeper. He just nodded and went back to the bar.

After a few rounds, Marty was staring into his most recent, and not last, drink if he had anything to say about it when he realized he would have to let Laura Shelton know that the self defense class for the girls on Saturday would need to be cancelled, unless Kensi decided to hold it on her own. He had no desire to contact Kensi to find out. He pulled out his cell and found Laura's contact information. He hit dial while he took another sip of his scotch.

"Marty! What's up? Why are you calling so late? Everything okay?"

"Hey, Laura. I'm just calling to let you know I can't make it Saturday. I'm not sure about Kensi. You'll have to find out from her if she's willing to do it on her own." He knew he was slurring his words but didn't really care at this point.

Laura was instantly alert. This was not the Marty she knew. Something was wrong. "Why wouldn't _you_ ask Kensi if she was okay with doing it on her own?" He didn't say anything in response. "Where are you Marty? What's going on?"

Not thinking straight he gave her an honest answer. "I'm at Steve's Place on Culver Boulevard and I have no intention of asking Kensi anything."

Laura frowned at her phone. "I'll be right there. Can you promise me that you'll wait for me Marty? Promise me that you won't go anywhere else?" He nodded at the phone, too far gone to realize she couldn't see him. He hung up the phone and gestured to Steve for another.

Laura hung up the phone and rang for the butler. When he appeared she asked "Neal, could you ask Ken to bring the car around? I need to go out."

Neal frowned, it was not like Mrs. Shelton to head out this late in the evening. "Is everything okay Mrs. Shelton?"

"No, it's not. I think a friend is in trouble and I need to see if I can help him. Could you tell Ken that I need him to look up directions to a bar called Steve's Place on Culver? Also, call the house in Santa Barbara and ask them to prepare it for a possible guest."

Neal instantly recognized the name of the bar. Marty had taken him there a couple times after surfing lessons. Forgetting that the Sheltons didn't know that he and the detective had become friends, he asked "Marty? Is something wrong with Marty?"

Laura looked at her butler and saw the concern on his face. "You too?" she asked. He nodded. Laura smiled, thinking that the LAPD detective had woven himself into the fabric of her family's life in more ways than one. She sincerely felt that said fabric was stronger for his presence. "Would you like to come with me?" Neal said yes without hesitation. "Okay, let's take my car. I'm assuming you know where this place is and can get us there?" Neal nodded once again and reached for the phone to call the housekeeper for the Santa Barbara property. Once they had their instructions, the two headed out to Laura's car. When they reached Steve's Place, Neal pulled over and let Laura out. He would need to circle the block to find a parking space as none were available and neither wanted to wait any longer to find out what was up with their friend.

Laura walked into the seedy little bar and scanned the room. She located him at the farthest table from the door. Determinedly heading his way, she was surprised when the bartender came out from behind the bar and stopped her. "I don't think the gentleman is looking for company tonight lady!"

Laura looked at the man in front of her and smiled. "I'm assuming you're yet another friend of Marty's? He's expecting me."

The man looked relieved and reached out his hand. "Steve. I own this place. This is so totally out of character for Marty. I'm glad a friend has shown up to find out what the hell is going on. It's not like him to have more than one or two beers. He used to come here all the time but that stopped a couple years ago. I heard he got shot in a convenience store robbery. After that we only see him every few weeks. Last couple times he's come in with a hot brunette. He really seemed happy. I don't know what happened to change that tonight, but I'm guessing it's the brunette."

Laura smiled at him and took his hand. Since meeting the NCIS team her world had opened up and she had met some wonderful people she would have previously looked down her nose at. This man was obviously concerned about her friend. "I'm Laura. I'll do whatever I can to make sure he's okay." He smiled at her and moved out of her way. She headed over to his table and sat down. "Hi Marty. What's up?"

He looked up bleary eyed and tried to focus on the woman's face. "Laura? What are you doing here? How did you find me?" he asked, completely forgetting the phone conversation where he had given her his location. She looked at him. Again she thought, this was not a Marty Deeks she knew. She had seen him embarrassed, happy, angry after Meaghan's attack, but never this look of defeat. She knew it had something to do with Kensi and she was not happy with the female agent. She opened her mouth but was interrupted when Neal sat down at the table with them. Obviously, he had found a parking spot.

"Hey dude, what's up" Neal asked. Laura looked at him, stunned that her oh so formal butler was talking to the detective like some surfer. Neal looked at her with a slightly guilty look on his face. She smiled at him, letting him know that she didn't care. That all she cared about was finding out what was wrong with the man sitting at the table with them.


	30. Chapter 30

A/N – Chapter 29 was changed and has grown into more than I expected. I got several reviews that said Deeks let Kensi off too easy. I only rewrite when the review strikes a chord with me and I find I agree with them, when I can see another way to approach things that I like better. Some of this was in the original chapter 29 but has been tweaked to meet the new storyline.

jbn42 – thanks for the comment about Kensi's issues with emotions, I agree and tried to put some of that into this.

honus47 – thanks for reading this before I published and giving me your input! I added in your suggestions!

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Chapter 30

Closing the door, Kensi leaned against it, sick with fear that she had just ruined the best thing in her life. How had this happened? She realized she'd never had the chance to tell him that she'd changed her mind about kids. That she would now consider them, _if_ it was with him. She thought back to when she was with Jack. She'd been younger and so much more naïve. She hadn't seen so much of the evil in the world and there had been no doubts about them having kids after they got married. It hadn't bothered her then, in fact, she'd looked forward to it. When did that change? Was it Jack walking away, making her feel like she just wasn't good enough? Good enough to be his wife, the mother of his children? Good enough to help him through his PTSD? Or was it that she didn't want to bring a new life into this world of war and terrorism that she now dealt with on a daily basis?

She wanted to go after him but wasn't sure he'd let her in once she got there. She looked down and saw he had left his go bag by her front door. She knew that he didn't need anything in it but it would make as good an excuse as any as to why she was showing up on his doorstep right now. Pushing away from the door, she squared her shoulders, grabbed the bag and her car keys. She'd fix this, she had to or she didn't know what she would do. He'd filled every corner of her world and she just couldn't imagine it without him in it.

As she approached his building a short while later, some of her confidence drained away. She said out loud to the empty car "Come on Kensi! You're not a coward. You're Bad Ass Blye and you can do this! You've faced down men with guns! Surely you can face down your angry boyfriend?" She was going to fight for him, for them but she needed him to fight with her. She needed to let him know exactly what kind of man she thought he was. That he was a good man. One who was kind, smart, funny (at times), was great with people and who would be the best dad ever.

When she pulled over in front of his place she realized there were no lights on in the apartment and his car wasn't there. She felt a huge let down. She'd been ready to face him and work it out and he wasn't even here? Maybe he'd gone by the beach to think, he usually did when he was upset. She'd wait for him to show up. Taking a deep breath, she texted him to let him know where she was, that she was waiting for him. He didn't respond back and she hoped he wasn't ignoring her.

When several hours had gone by with her just sitting in the car, waiting without him ever showing up, checking her cell phone every few minutes for a text that never came, she started to get angry. She'd gone over the conversation in her head a hundred times and she knew that she'd been in the wrong but that didn't excuse him just walking out. Walking away like every other man in her life had done. He hadn't even given her a chance to really explain, to tell him how she felt. He knew she had trouble showing her emotions and for her to open up to him like that? To tell him that she was scared at just how much she loved him had been a huge step for her and he had just walked out the door. True, he had said he loved her too, present tense, but then he was just gone.

When he didn't show up after another hour of waiting, some of her anger turned to worry. Where had he gone? It was too late to call any of their friends to see if they had heard from him, people he might have turned to. She started the car and headed home. She'd see him at work in the morning and she would find a way to get him alone, to talk this out like normal couples. Everyone had fights. Hell, this wasn't even their first one. They'd gotten through that and they just had to talk this over and figure out a way to make it right, to move on, together.

She tossed and turned all night, switching between worry about him and anger at him. She finally gave up at dawn and decided to get up to go for a run, clear her head. Then she'd head into the Mission and they'd see how the day shaped up. She got to work about an hour before any of the rest of her team; it seemed she had even beaten Hetty in. She started working on the paperwork she needed to fill out for the operation that had ended last night but really didn't make any headway. Instead she just stared at her laptop screen, looking up every time someone entered, wanting it to be him. She was glad of the distraction when Sam and Callen finally came in. Of course the first thing they asked was where Deeks was. She was still trying to formulate an answer that wouldn't alert the two senior agents that she and Deeks had had a fight, when Hetty entered the bullpen. Kensi had never seen her come into work, had she been here the whole time?

"Mr. Deeks will be taking some personal time. He expects to be back here on Monday. I'm sure there is plenty of paperwork that needs to be done for last night's very successful conclusion to your mission. Congratulations on a job well done, all of you." They thanked her and she turned and walked back to her desk. Kensi got up to follow her only to be stopped by Sam.

"Is everything okay with Deeks, Kensi? He didn't mention taking any time off last night."

"Yeah, yeah, everything's fine." Kensi replied, adding a silent "I hope!" to herself. "I just need to go check on something with Hetty, about the mission. I'll be right back." She headed over to the operations manager's office, leaving her two teammates to exchange knowing glances. They had talked about the tension that had obvious between the couple when they got off the plane the night before. Something was up with them and it looked like Kensi, although she tried to cover it, had no idea where her partner was or that he hadn't planned to be in today.

As Kensi approached Hetty's office, she tried to come up with a way to ask about Deeks without letting it be known that she was fishing for information. "Hetty, do you have a moment?"

"Of course, Miss. Blye. Please be seated. I was just about to make some tea, would you like some?" Kensi shook her head no and stared at Hetty, still not sure how to find out what Deeks had said without looking like she was out of the loop on something she should know. "You should know, Miss. Blye, that Mr. Deeks left me a very short voicemail stating he was taking today off. He offered no explanation, no indication of where he might be going or what he might be doing. Would you be able to shed any light on his decision? It's not like our Mr. Deeks to be so abrupt."

Kensi looked at her open mouthed. Finally she said "He left a voicemail? I assumed he talked to you."

"Yes, as would I and I find that concerns me. He has my cell phone number, as do you all. I have to assume he did not want to chance talking to me directly. Again, I ask you, do you have any information that would explain his unusual behavior?"

Kensi thought hard and decided she couldn't be honest with her. This was exactly what the others were concerned about when they had started a personal relationship. She couldn't endanger that or their partnership. He was still the only one she really trusted to keep her safe and she didn't want or need a different partner. They would work this out and be stronger than ever. Her thoughts gave her a lift and she was able to smile brightly at their boss. "He had some things to take care of today, nothing major. When I see him tonight I'll be sure to tell him you weren't happy with how he let you know. I'll make sure he calls you directly from now on."

She got up to leave when Hetty said "I believe you asked to speak with me Miss. Blye. Instead I did all the talking. What was it you wanted to ask?"

Thinking quickly, she said "Oh, I was going to request some time off to go away with my mother for a long weekend, a kind of girl's only mini vacation. We haven't finalized the dates yet but I just wanted to give you a heads up. I'll let you know as soon as I know."

Hetty looked at the junior agent appraisingly and said "Of course. Just try to give me as much notice as possible and, as always, all plans are cancelled should we catch a case." Kensi nodded and scurried away, thinking at the least, she'd see him at Laura's house tomorrow for self-defense training. Maybe she'd even see or hear from him tonight, there was still plenty of time. "I need things to work out, I can't lose him now." she whispered to herself.

Hetty smiled slightly, she knew the two had had some kind of falling out. She wasn't happy that it had resulted in Mr. Deeks taking an unexplained day off but, the two had worked very well, better than ever in fact, since their…extracurricular activities had begun. This was the first time it had had a negative impact and she would keep an eye on them, but for now, she had no intentions of taking Miss. Blye's partner away from her. Even between partners who were not romantically involved, she had seen similar things happen. When you trusted your partner with your life on a daily basis, a bond forms, feelings get hurt, fights happen. She had absolute faith that the two would work things out.


	31. Chapter 31

A/N – another shout out to honus47 for reviewing and making great suggestions that I used, including one that will be coming up in the next chapter (or two). THANKS!

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Chapter 31

Deeks woke up the next morning and groaned. His head felt like someone was doing a very enthusiastic drum solo in it. He opened his eyes carefully and realized that he had no idea where he was. He could hear the sound of surf so he knew he was somewhere near the ocean but the room he was in was not familiar, nor was the bed. What the hell had he done? He sniffed the air and could smell coffee and salt water. His heart in his throat, he threw off the covers and found he was still fully dressed, minus his boots. He sighed in relief and stood up slowly. He made his was carefully out of the room and followed the delicious aroma of coffee. When he stumbled into the kitchen he was stunned to see Laura Shelton sitting at the table, eating breakfast and reading the paper. Neal was manning the stove.

"Um. You guys? Where am I and how did I get here?"

Laura looked up and said "Well, I'm surprised you're up this early! I wasn't expecting to see you for another few hours. You're at my guest home in Santa Barbara. You were adamant last night about not wanting to go home. Have something to eat and then you and I need to talk. If you can't talk to me, then talk to Neal."

He sat numbly at the table and let Neal put scrambled eggs, toast and coffee in front him. He smiled his thanks at his friend and drank half the coffee. Feeling a little more human, he dug into his eggs, finishing them and the toast up quickly. Like Kensi, his hangovers pretty much left his stomach unaffected. When he was done he looked up to find his two friends staring at him with identical expressions of concern.

Looking back down at his now empty plate, he said "So. I remember stopping at Steve's Place after leaving the airport last night. I have a vague memory of talking to you on the phone Laura. It's all a blur after that." He felt ashamed to have to make that last admission. He didn't really like to get that hammered, it brought back too many bad memories of his father. He especially didn't like to when he was upset about something, it affected his ability to realize he'd reached his limit and stop. He certainly hadn't planned on getting these two involved in what had transpired between him and Kensi. "How did you find me?"

"You told me where you were when you called to cancel class. Neal recognized the bar's name and we came down to get you. You were obviously not yourself, even Steve was concerned." Deeks looked up at Steve's name.

"You met Steve?"

"Yes. I must admit you have a very eclectic group of friends. The thing they all have in common is that they care about you." said Laura.

"That includes us Marty." added Neal. "Do you want to tell us what's going on? We're assuming it has something to do with Kensi as you wouldn't let either of us call her last night. I drove you here in Mrs. Shelton's car and she followed in yours. It's waiting for you outside for when you're ready to go home." Deeks looked down again, thinking about how much of what had happened he wanted to share with these two. He had opened up to Laura about his dad after Meaghan's attack but he hadn't told her everything and he hadn't told Neal any of it. He looked back at Laura and nodded.

"Neal, would you mind leaving us alone for just a bit?" asked Laura.

"Of course, Mrs. Shelton. I'll be out in the garden." Neal walked past Deeks, put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed.

Once he was gone, Laura looked at Deeks and said "Ok, talk to me Marty! What could possibly have happened to send you on a bender? It doesn't seem like the kind of thing you would do. What I've seen of you is that you normally face things head on."

He sighed and shook his head, not sure where to start. He finally decided, where better than the beginning? He started with the mission, as much of it as he could share with her. She may be an admiral's wife but she was still a civilian. He told her of Kensi's reaction to his saving her life. His confusion about what else he should have done, even admitting that he had worried that his lack of agent training meant he had missed another option, one that the rest of the team would have taken first, with better results.

He paused and then continued through the plane ride, how she had shut him out. Then the long quiet ride to her place from the airport. How she had apologized for yelling at him at the end of the op. Her admission that it had been his words after the prior night's fun and games he had had with some kids at a local restaurant, that had set off her reaction. He stopped. Looking Laura in the eyes he whispered "She actually told me she wondered if I was with her just because it was convenient. She based it simply on the fact that I know how she feels about having children. It made me think she didn't think much of me, that she could actually think I was someone who would just use her until I found someone better. I'm still not sure if I overreacted, but I know how I feel."

He stood up and moved to the window. He stared out, not really seeing the beautiful view. Laura stood up and moved beside him. "How _did_ that make you feel?"

He didn't answer and she wondered if he had heard her question. She was about to ask again when he said so softly she had to strain to hear him. "Worthless."

"Your father?" she asked.

He nodded and then went quiet, lost in memories, his arms hugging his chest. Once again she wished his father were still alive so she could get her hands on him. "Marty?" she prompted.

She had finally decided he wasn't going to talk when he said "My earliest memory of my dad is him yelling at me that I was worthless, that I would never amount to anything. That he didn't want me and no one else ever would. That I was good for nothing and ruined everything I touched. He was beating me with a belt at the time. I think I was about three. It may have been the first time, but it wasn't the last."

"You can't believe anything he said, can you? Look at you! You put yourself through under grad and law school. Passed the bar! In three different states! Went to the police academy and graduated. Got promoted to detective, got selected to be the NCIS Liaison Officer over how many other qualified LAPD detectives? You have friends who care about you, people who love you." She paused and said "I told you my own father never thought I was worth his time or effort. He never said it in so many words but it was there just the same. I can understand how what Kensi said could hit home. Did you tell her how you felt? What did she say?"

"I told I thought she knew me better than that and she tried to apologize. I was about to leave when she told me she loved me for the first time."

"Well, what did you say?"

"I told her I loved her too."

"Then what's the problem?"

He took a moment to respond. "I still walked out."

"You walked out?! Why?"

"I'm not sure. I was hurt, as hurt as I've ever been by anyone in my life since my dad went to jail and my mom disappeared. She made me feel something I hadn't in a long time, like I did when my father was saying those things to me. She's the first woman in my adult life that I've ever told I loved. And I do love her, more than anything. How could she say that to me? What if he was right? What if I do ruin everything I touch?"

Laura looked at him seriously. "Have you told Kensi about your father?"

"She knows he was abusive, that I shot him when I was eleven. I've never really shared much else with her. I didn't want her to look at me differently, with the pity I've seen in other people's eyes when they find out the extent of the abuse."

"Then how can you expect her to understand how her words would affect you? Yes, she was wrong and, if she were here, I would give her a piece of my mind. But walking out? After her telling you she loved you? After you saying it back? That's not the way to keep a relationship afloat."

"I know. I know that I should have stayed but…there are other things I haven't told you. When I first started with NCIS they had the same impression of me that you did, back when I first met you. I didn't measure up to their standards and I heard about it, often, from all three of them. Kensi came around first but she still slips back into the pattern of the three of them ganging up on me. They don't mean it as anything other than teasing now but, sometimes, it still hurts, it still brings back those words that no one will ever want me, that I'll never be good enough. I've felt it all my life and, honestly, it was actually starting to go away when I met Kensi. Believe it or not, behind all the jokes and smart remarks, I'm not the most trusting person and when she said those things to me yesterday? Everything came rushing back."

"You'll have to face her sooner or later. Are you sure you want to cancel the class tomorrow? Avoiding her isn't going to solve anything and you're going to disappoint the girls. Meaghan kept saying how much she missed last week's class because of this assignment you were both on. Now you'll miss a second in a row and this time? It's not a good reason."

"Can I think about it? I don't want to disappoint the girls, you know that. But, I need to be prepared to see her. I need to be able to have a calm discussion with her; I can't let it break down into accusations or excuses. That would only make it worse. I need to let her know how and why I'm so hurt by what she thought, even if it was only momentarily." He sighed. "I also know I need to apologize for walking away. That's the one thing that Kensi can't stand. It's happened to her too many times in the past."

He looked at her and she smiled, glad that he was at least talking to her, working it through in his head. She'd thought it more than once, if ever two people were meant to be together, it was him and Kensi. If they couldn't work things out, she'd take a more active hand in things. She was pretty sure she could have a whole task force organized in no time, set to work on it if they couldn't get their act together on their own. Her musings were interrupted when he said "I'm going to take a walk on the beach, if you don't mind? There's nowhere else I think clearer than there." She nodded and watched him start to walk out of the house. He paused just inside the doorway and turned back to her. "I don't know why I feel comfortable telling you things that I've never told anyone before. I feel like you understand in ways others can't. Thank you Laura."

"I do Marty, I do understand and I've told you things I've never told anyone either. Like you, for some reason I feel you understand better than others could."

He smiled sadly and continued his way through the door and into the backyard. He stopped to talk to Neal, shaking his hand, obviously thanking him for being there for him last night. She watched him head to the beach, his head down, hands in his pockets, a solitary figure yet somehow not as defeated as he'd seemed last night. They'd work this out.

She laughed at herself when she realized she had included herself in the picture of his future. She had come so far since the time that the NCIS team had invaded her home and her world. She used to have only acquaintances that were on committees with her and now she had a real circle of girlfriends, people she could go out and have fun with, people she could be herself with. A young man she was starting to see as a younger brother, one she wanted to help and protect. She had changed and she knew it was for the better. Not that said committee members would agree and she found she just didn't care.


	32. Chapter 32

A/N - I'm getting there, I promise.

Thanks to Hoosier65, for the idea on his text to her!

Thanks to yellowcallalilly, for giving me the idea on how the resolution comes about (not just yet though)

And, thanks to everyone for reviewing this _six_ chapter story! ;-)

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Chapter 32

Deeks walked down to the beach, deep in thought. When he reached the sand, he toed off his shoes and removed his socks. Moving further onto the beach, he dug his toes into the warm sand and felt the beach perform its magic on him, calming his chaotic thoughts. The sand, the sound of the waves, the sun on the water, there was nothing else like it. He plopped down onto the sand and felt something poke him. Reaching around, he pulled his cell phone out of his back pocket. He didn't even remember picking it up before following his nose to the kitchen earlier. Hell, maybe he'd slept on it.

He activated it and found two text messages waiting for him. One was from Kensi from last night. Crap! If she was mad at him before, he could only imagine how pissed off she would be if she thought that he had ignored her text. He'd never even heard the notification. His mind skittered away from just how drunk he'd gotten last night. The other was from Sam from this morning. Feeling cowardly, he opened the one from him first.

 _Where are you buddy? Everything okay? Not like you to bang out like this!_

It still amazed him at the turnaround in Sam's attitude towards him. Ever since the Sidarov situation, Sam had done a complete 180 and he found he liked this new Sam. The teases and taunts were still there but they weren't mean spirited anymore and, while they sometimes bothered him as he had told Laura, he knew deep down it was meant in fun. Sam was the same with Kensi and Callen. He also took as good as he got. Deeks thought about responding but figured if Kensi found out he answered Sam before her, he might as well just leave the country. Sighing, he opened her text.

 _I'm outside your place. Where are you? Are you okay? I'll wait here for you. Please, we need to talk!_

His heart sank. He wondered how long she had waited for him. She had a key. Would she have just gone in and made herself comfortable or would she have felt they needed to clear the air before she took that liberty? He could picture her sitting in the car for hours. This was just getting better and better. He hesitated as to whether he should respond at this late date or not, but finally decided that she would just worry if she didn't hear from him for too long and he owed her this. He texted her back.

 _I'm sorry, I just_ _now_ _got this. I never heard the phone last night. I hope you didn't wait too long. I'm okay and I promise, I'll be back shortly and we'll talk. I won't be at class tomorrow. For right now, I just need some space. Can you do that for me?_

He sent it and then decided to send another one, hitting send before he could have second thoughts.

 _I love you._

While he was waiting, he texted Sam back.

 _I'll be fine Sam. I mean good, I'll be good. I just need to work a couple things out and I have to do it alone. Thanks, I mean it._

He hoped Sam would understand that he was thanking him for caring enough to try to find out what was going on. While he was waiting to see if she responded, he tried to picture the talk they needed to have in his mind, but it always ended either in another fight or with him taking the blame for everything. He sighed again. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he was going to need more than just today. His phone pinged twice. Guess it was a quiet day at the Mission if both of them were hatching their phones. The first was from Sam.

 _If you say so. You know where I am if you need anything or need to talk._

The second was from Kensi and he held his breath while he opened it.

 _I'm not sure that I want to know where you were that you didn't hear your phone. How could you just walk away like that? I, we, deserve better. I'll give you as much space as you need but please, don't take too long._

The phone pinged with another incoming text while he was reading the first.

 _I love you too._

He blew out his breath, her first text had made him feel like there might be no going back but the second one had left him feeling more positive. As long as they loved each other, they could work through just about anything. She would need to apologize for her actions and words, in fact she had tried, but she was not alone in this. He had walked away and made it worse. He should have stayed and made her understand just how badly she had hurt him. They would need to set some ground rules for the future, their future. Even though he was feeling better, he still felt it would be for the best if they took a little more time apart but he knew he would be heading home on Sunday, if not Saturday night. Of course, that was provided he could stay here until then.

Back at the house, Neal watched him from one of the lounge chairs artfully placed around the garden, each with a beautiful view of the ocean. Laura came up from behind him and sat on the chair closest to him. "How did he seem?"

Neal thought about it. "I think he's going to be fine. He's strong, stronger than he gives himself credit for. "

"I agree. "

"Did he tell you what happened?"

Laura thought for a moment and then decided she could give Neal the bare bones of the situation without giving away any of Deeks's confidences about his father. She ended with a question. "What do you think of the two of them?"

"I think they're both strong personalities that shouldn't work together, but they do. They're like two halves of a whole. They're going to fight, all couples do, but it's going to be harder on them if one side doesn't know what fight they're having and then walks away." Neal suddenly realized he was lounging around the garden with his boss and speaking very informally with her. He quickly added "Ma'am." and started to get up.

Laura laughed at him. "Calm down Neal. There's no one here but us and I'd prefer if you didn't stand on ceremony right now. I could use someone to talk to about this. Someone I can trust." A glimmer of an idea had presented itself to her and she wanted to run it by him.

Neal sank back down into the chair and frowned at her, not sure if he liked the look in her eyes. "What exactly do you have up your sleeve?" As an afterthought he added "Mrs. Shelton."

Not answering, she responded with a question. "What do you think of this place?" She had fallen in love with it at first sight and had bought it with the thought that it would make a lovely romantic getaway for her and John. It was quiet and quaint. Covered in bougainvillea, it had a lovely garden in the back that marched right down to the beach. Unfortunately, John had been away more and more and they had never made it down here, just the two of them. Mostly she used it for friends and family who wanted to get out of L.A. She thought about how much more attentive John had been since the threat all those months ago and smiled, she might just be using this for the original purpose after all, but for now, she had a plan in mind.

"It's my favorite of all your properties. Again, what do you have in mind?"

Laure outlined her plan and Neal smiled in approval. It would require some manipulation on Mrs. Shelton's part but, he'd seen her manipulate with the best of them. He had complete faith in her abilities.

When Deeks came back up from the beach, he found them talking quietly but they stopped when he approached. He wondered if they were talking about him. It would stand to reason. He owed both of them an apology for last night. It was inexcusable. Plus he needed to let Laura know he was going to disappoint the girls after all. To top it all off, he realized he would also owe Hetty, Sam and Callen an apology for today. He was just hitting on all cylinders on this one, wasn't he? "Laura. Neal. I just want to say how sorry I am about last night. You should never have had to get involved in this and I've disrupted both your lives. It won't happen again, I promise you."

Neal responded first. "If I had called you, in the state you were in last night, would you have come to get me? Or would you have left me to my own devices?"

"Of course I would've come!" Deeks was somewhat offended Neal had asked.

This time Laura spoke. "Then why do you begrudge us the chance to do the same for you? Now, I don't expect this to become a habit but, Marty, you have to know you've become very important to us. Of course we would be there for you without a second thought!"

He didn't quite know how to respond so just nodded. He opened his mouth to tell her about tomorrow when she spoke again. "I've been thinking about it Marty. I don't think you should come to class tomorrow after all. It's a combative atmosphere and now I'm thinking it's not conducive to settling a fight, unless you want to battle it out with knives and winner takes all?" She grinned at him.

Knowing full well that Kensi would win that battle 99 times out of 100, he grinned back and shook his head no. Laura smiled, hiding her pleasure at how things were working out. "Very well, it's settled then. I'll call Kensi later and ask her to lead the class alone, that way the girls won't be as disappointed. You stay here until you're ready to head home. If you weren't here, it would just be standing empty."

"I don't know how to thank you, Laura." he said quietly, pleased to know he could spend additional nights in this place; he had no real memory of the first one. It was peaceful and quiet, just what he needed. Laura and Neal said their goodbyes and headed back to L.A., leaving him alone in paradise.


	33. Chapter 33

A/N – thank to honus47 for once _again_ reviewing and making suggestions!

OhBuddy66 - for suggesting the girls have a different perspective on things!

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! Please keep reviewing, good or bad! I want to hear from you, let me know how I'm doing!

This story arc WILL be ending next chapter, it's time to move on! As for the overall story? As long as I keep getting such great suggestions, it may never end!

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Chapter 33

Sam watched Kensi out of the corner of his eye. She would work for a while and then zone out, usually staring at Deeks's empty desk with a frown on her face. He tried several times to get her to talk to him but she rebuffed him each time, giving him the "I'm fine" answer that Deeks had long ago clued him in to mean she was anything but. He'd tried to talk to Callen, but at the first hint that Sam wanted to get involved in the partners lives, he'd taken off for the gun range, mumbling something about requalifying, even though Sam knew he'd already done so last month. An idea crossed his mind and he stood up, grabbing his phone. Kensi didn't even notice him leave.

Once he was out of earshot, he called Michelle's cell. She answered on the second ring "Hey Baby! What's up?"

"What are you doing?"

"What do you mean, what am I doing? Are you checking up on me Sam Hanna?"

"What? No! No, of course not! I just, I need your help with Kensi."

Michelle was instantly alert. "Kensi? What's wrong with her?" Kensi had become a good friend over the last few months, part of a circle of women who had rapidly become close knit.

"Deeks called out today and she obviously wasn't expecting it, even though she tried to hide that fact. I can't get her to talk to me about what's going on. She just keeps staring at his desk like she's trying to will him to appear!"

"Do you think this has something to do with the way you told me they were behaving last night?"

"It has to be! They were fine before we went out to dinner on Wednesday night and by the time we flew home yesterday; it was like they could barely look at each other."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Can you call and ask her to meet you? Maybe go out to lunch? I'm hoping she'll talk to you. You know, the whole I've been there, done that, I can help kind of thing?"

Michelle snorted. She loved this man to distraction but he honestly had no idea about how to deal with women. "I'll call and ask her but I can't force her to go and I can't guarantee she'll want to talk to me, Sam."

"That's all I can ask. Now, when you call her don't let on that you know anything's wrong, she'll turn you down flat. Don't let her know I called you. Maybe you can pretend you need her help on something or that you need to just get out of the house, or…"

"Sam!" Michelle interrupted her husband. "I'm a trained CIA operative. I think I can figure out how to get Kensi to go out to lunch with a friend!"

"Oh. Yeah."

"I love you Sam."

"I love you too baby." Sam hung up and felt better. At least he was trying to do something. Deeks had been no help. Wouldn't give him any idea whatsoever except texting that he needed to work some things out, alone. Nothing else since then. Sighing, he went back to his desk to finish up his paperwork and keep an eye on his little sister. When Kensi's cell phone rang a few minutes later, he tried hard not to let her know he was watching her every move as she practically lunged at the phone. He felt bad when he saw the hope on her face die away when she saw the caller id. He listened to her side of the conversation.

"Hey Michelle. What's up?"

"Lunch? I don't know, I have an awful lot of paperwork to finish up here."

"Why would Cassie and Paula need my help with a catering snafu?"

"Oh. Okay, sure. I'd love to help check out the new caterer." Sam could hear the distinct lack of enthusiasm in her voice.

"Yeah, I know where that is. I'll see you guys in about 20 minutes." Kensi hung up the phone and looked up to find Sam watching her. He pasted a pleasant look of inquiry on his face.

"Was that my Michelle?"

"Does she know you refer to her as yours, Sam?"

"You know what I meant, Kens. What's up?"

"Apparently the caterer for Cassie and Paula's wedding bailed on them. They're doing a taste testing at a new place today and they want us girls to come and help. I'm meeting them there at noon."

"Well, have a good time and tell the girls hi from me." He was proud of Michelle. Now he could only hope that she'd be able to pry what was wrong out her and things could go back to normal around here. Or at least what passed for normal for them.

Kensi got up and left to go meet her friends. She tried to work up some enthusiasm for the venture but her heart just wasn't in it. She drove to the restaurant and found a place to park. Walking in, she looked around and immediately spotted Michelle, who was sitting alone at a table near the back. Michelle looked up and waved her over. Kensi sat at the table and asked "Where are Cassie and Paula?"

"Oh, I just heard from Paula. They had something come up and can't make it after all. They want a detailed review of the food from this place."

Kensi narrowed her eyes at Michelle who was looking as angelic as possible. "Sam called you, didn't he? There's no taste testing. He wants you to find out what's going on, doesn't he?"

Michelle smiled at her. She had known that Kensi was smart and wouldn't be taken in by any ruse for long. She reached out a hand and put it on top on Kensi's. "He's just worried about you and Marty. And…he's a guy. He doesn't know how to deal with these kinds of things so he called in the cavalry. That would be me. A friend who knows what it's like to work a dangerous job and who fell in love with the wrong man. Talk to me Kensi, what's wrong?"

Kensi answered with a question of her own. "Why would Sam care? He told me he wasn't crazy about the idea of co-workers dating."

Michelle laughed. "He's a great one to say that! Talk about do as I say, not as I do! You know he and Marty are in a better place now, right? That he's sorry for the things he said?"

"What things? What are you talking about Michelle?"

Michelle looked surprised. "You mean Marty never told you?"

"Told me what Michelle?!"

Michelle frowned; she thought for sure that Marty would have told Kensi about what Sam had said to him when he and Sam were on overwatch during the Sidarov case. When they'd been forced to partner up while Kensi and Callen had been in Iran, tracking down Janvier. She hesitated now, not sure what to say, not sure why he'd never told her.

"Michelle! Spill it now or I'll go back to OSP and get it out of Sam. I can guarantee you that that won't be pretty."

"Ok, ok. When you and Callen were in Iran, you know that Sam was upset that he was partnered up with Marty. He was worried about me and scared out of his mind something bad would happen. You know Callen is like his brother, he wanted the safety net of working with someone who's every move he could predict. Marty, well, Marty was an enigma to him."

"What happened?"

"He may have questioned Marty's character. Told him that everything about him was different, his hair, his beard, his clothes, his jokes. I heard it on the comms. Marty was pretty pissed and, I think, really hurt by Sam's words."

Kensi paled, realizing now why her thinking, even for a minute, that he was using her, making it sound like she was questioning his character, would have hurt him. It must have reminded him of a very dark time in his life.

"How could Sam do that Michelle? Deeks has never done anything but back us all up. Look what happened during that case! Look at what he went through to protect you!"

"He knows that now Kensi! He told me that he went to Marty's room just before he left the hospital to find me. He apologized to him and told him he'd never make that mistake again. Kensi, Marty told Sam that he thought he was done being a cop. Sam made sure to tell him that would be a mistake, that Marty was a great cop and would make a great agent. He truly believes that. Don't be mad at him now, it's all ancient history."

Kensi looked at her and said in a small voice. "How can I be mad at him, Michelle, when I did the same thing to Deeks, just not in as many words?"

"What do you mean?"

Kensi told Michelle about the argument the two of them had had and how she had called his feelings for her into question and his reaction to that. How she'd admitted her feelings for him and his response, including walking out and disappearing without a word. Michelle's stomach dropped. "You both have some apologizing to do. But, if I know one thing, it's that the two of you can work this out. I've seen the way you two look at each other. There's a real and binding love there Kensi. It will be worth any effort to make this right. I know from experience. No one else knows this but, Sam and I broke up at the end of the joint op we met on. I loved him and he loved me but we were both too stubborn to try to find a way to make it work. We were so sure that it couldn't, neither one of us willing to have to leave our job to make a family. In the end, there was no way we could stay apart and still be happy. We found a way to make it work and you will too." She smiled at the younger woman.

Kensi smiled back, taking hope from Michelle's words. Despite his text, she was sure she'd see him tomorrow and they'd work this out. Finding herself starving, she and Michelle ordered lunch and spent the rest of their time together talking about love and relationships. Well, really more about comparing ops, close calls and scars.

When Kensi got back to OSP, Sam looked at her hopefully. She glared at him and sat down without a word.

"So, how was lunch Kensi?"

"Really, Sam? You want to play it that way? You want to pretend that you didn't sic your wife on me to find out what's going on with Deeks and me?"

If Sam had had a tail, he would have tucked it between his legs and run off to the gym. "I'm sorry Kensi. I was worried about you two and neither one of you will give me a straight answer. I only did it because I care so much about both of you. You're family and family watches out for each other."

Kensi softened as she heard the sincerity in his voice. "I know Sam. I also know that you called Deeks's character into question during the Sidarov case. What were you thinking?"

Sam looked stunned. How had a conversation about whatever was going on between the two of them, turn into a discussion about that? He squared his shoulders. "That was between me and Deeks, Kensi. I will tell you that I was dead wrong and I let him know it. He knows now that I respect him and that I want him to become an agent, to really join the team. He knows this team isn't as good without him. I know that because I've told him exactly that. Now, did you tell Michelle what's going on?"

Kensi grinned at him for the first time today. "That's between me and Michelle, Sam."

Sam opened his mouth to try and come up with a witty comeback when Kensi's phone rang again. He watched the same emotions as earlier play across her face when she hopefully looked at the caller id. She answered and, once again, he got only her side of the conversation.

"Hi Laura." She frowned.

"Yes, I'll be there tomorrow. I'll need to talk to Deeks about what time to pick him up." She was so sure he wouldn't back out on class, no matter what his text had said.

"He did?" Sam saw her eyes fill with tears. Now what?

"By myself? I don't know it that's such a good idea."

"Yes, I know we missed last week's session."

"I'm sure the girls would be disappointed but there's always next week."

"Really Laura, I don't think…"

"Yes, I know we made a commitment to …."

"I'll see you around 10."

Kensi hung up the phone, looking shell shocked. Laura had gently, but with a fist of iron, overridden every excuse Kensi could think of to cancel the class tomorrow. Somehow she'd been manipulated into holding it alone. Now that she had hung up, several additional arguments came to mind. She contemplated calling Laura back but, somehow; she had a feeling that the outcome would be the same. She looked up to find Sam watching her worriedly.

"It's okay, Sam. Laura was just calling to make sure I was going to hold class tomorrow seeing as how Deeks isn't going to be able to make it." She swallowed hard.

"Why would she insist on holding class if Deeks cancelled?" he asked.

She thought hard about the answer to that. Laura and Deeks had become close. There was something that connected the two, something she was left out of. She wondered if Laura had been in touch with him. Now that she thought about it, she was pretty sure that was exactly what had happened. She sat up straighter. There was a reason why Laura had been so adamant about holding class. She now found herself looking forward to the next morning, hoping the rest of the day would go by quickly. She looked up as Callen walked back into the bullpen after being MIA most of the day. She smiled at both her teammates.

"I'm not 100% sure, but I know I intend to find out."


	34. Chapter 34

A/N - The finale to this story arc took longer to write than I thought. I just couldn't seem to get it right. Still not sure if I did but it's done! Let me know what you think!

Thanks to honus47 for reviewing!

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Chapter 34

Kensi pulled up to the Shelton's at 10 AM sharp the next morning. She wasn't surprised when the front door opened and Neal came out to help her with the equipment. She had a feeling that, if Laura knew where Deeks was, so did he. She smiled at him and he looked everywhere but at her. Now she had her answer.

"Good morning Neal!"

"Uh, yeah, good morning Kensi. I'll just take this to the back. Everyone's here." Neal wasn't quite sure what to make of the fact that Kensi seemed so chipper this morning. He'd expected her to be either down or angry. Mrs. Shelton had told him how hard Kensi had tried to get out of holding class today. His boss had been quite proud of how she'd coerced the federal agent into coming. He hoped everything worked out the way they'd planned. He led the way to the backyard. The girls hadn't yet been told it was going to be just Kensi this morning. Neither of them missed the fact that, while greeting her politely, every one of them was looking past them, searching for the man that made all their young hearts flutter. Disappointment was written all over their faces when told that Deeks wasn't going to be here today. Kensi wasn't sure whether to feel miffed that she wasn't good enough or proud that Deeks had such an impact on them.

The class went well, if somewhat more lackluster than normal. When Deeks was here, there was no shortage of volunteers to be the victim or the bad guy. Today, it seemed like only Meaghan or Val volunteered. By the end of the session, Kensi was tired and just wanted to see Laura, who had yet to put in an appearance. While she was packing up, Meaghan approached her. Other than Val, the other girls had already headed home.

"Kensi, where was Marty?"

Kensi looked at her, not really sure what Laura knew and what she might have told her daughter. "He had some things to do today Meaghan. Don't worry; he'll be here next week." She hoped she was telling the girl the truth.

Meaghan crossed her arms across her chest and tried to stare her down, doing her best Laura Shelton imitation. "You guys had a fight, didn't you?"

Kensi was surprised at how perceptive Meaghan was. "What makes you say that?"

"You're not yourself. He's not here." Meaghan said. Deflating a little, she admitted "And I overheard mom and Neal talking. What's going on?" Valerie had joined them and was listening avidly. While both she and Meaghan had major crushes on the detective, they thoroughly enjoyed the relationship between the two and didn't want to see it fall apart.

"Ok, yes, we had a fight." Kensi admitted.

Meaghan reached out and patted her on the arm. "It'll be alright Kensi. He loves you and you love him. You'll work it out. You two are just like my mom and dad, meant to be together no matter what. Don't worry, everyone has fights, you just have to say you're sorry!" She said it with such confidence that Kensi couldn't help but smile. She realized that Meaghan's words sounded naïve and simplistic but, wasn't that usually the best way? Simple? Not really knowing what to say, she just reached out and pulled Meaghan into a hug. The girl hugged her back, hard.

Pulling back a little, Meaghan wrinkled her nose and said "Ew, you need a shower." Kensi's mouth dropped open and then she started to laugh. It was that way that Laura found them when she came out into the backyard. She'd been waiting for the class to end and the girls to leave so that she could feel Kensi out. The woman was her friend but Marty, Marty was coming close to taking Perry's place in her life. If she had to choose a side, she knew whose side that would be. She frowned to find the woman laughing with her daughter. She was supposed to be distraught and missing Marty, not laughing like she didn't have a care in the world. She marched out to put the next part of her plan into action.

"Hi Kensi! Sorry I missed class but I had some things to work on for a committee meeting on Monday. How did things go?"

"Things went fine Laura. We missed you though." Kensi looked Laura right in the eye, silently telling her she didn't buy her excuse for missing class for a moment. Laura looked momentarily taken aback and then smiled. She knew there was a reason why she liked this woman so much. She really hoped that her feelings for Marty were as strong and deep as she thought.

"I'm going to have a cocktail by the pool, would you care to join me?" Laura asked. Kensi smiled and nodded, following Laura to the poolside bar. Meaghan and Val called out goodbyes and went off to do whatever they had planned for the rest of their Saturday.

Deciding on a preemptive strike, Kensi said "Where's Deeks, Laura? I know you know."

Laura smiled. "Yes, I know where he is." She didn't elaborate, instead asking "Do you want to tell me your side of the story?"

Kensi swallowed; surprised that Laura was even talking to her if she knew what the fight was about. Deciding to be honest, she told Laura exactly what had happened.

Laura tilted her head at her and said "Why, Kensi? Why would you think that of him?"

"He didn't let me explain. I didn't think that of him…I thought that of me. I haven't had the best track record when it comes to the men in my life. They all leave at some point or another. What if it's me? He's the best thing that ever happened to me and I got myself all wound up when he started talking about when he was a father. We never talked about it so I worried, just for a bit, that he was talking about another life, with another woman. One who was more suited to have a family with. I know I'm a good agent, better than average in fact. I'll put my skills up against the best of them, male or female. But, in my personal life? Sometimes I feel like I'm just doomed to fail." She paused. "He shares some of the blame for our current situation too. He did what he knows I hate most, he walked away. He didn't tell me where he was going, didn't respond when I texted him. He could have been hurt or dead for all I knew."

Laura nodded, indicating that she understood. Out of left field she said "I never asked you before, how did you two meet for the first time?"

Kensi's face lit up with a smile. "We met undercover. He was under for LAPD and I was under for NCIS. He was my number one suspect and he was just plain suspicious of me. Sam and Callen saw right away that I was attracted to him. I remember I said I was stuck on him as a suspect and Callen said stuck, smitten, whatever. Sam even commented on his baby blues and fluffy hair. We were both stunned when we found out we were working on two different cases but both at the same place. We didn't exactly cooperate with each other. That case led to my agency creating a Liaison Officer position to work as a go between for NCIS and LAPD. Deeks was the one they selected and he ended up being my partner."

"When did you guys finally get together?"

"We both fought it. At first neither one of us trusted the other, but that changed with time. Eventually we built a really strong partnership that grew into a wonderful friendship and then into something so much more. Finally, I couldn't fight it anymore and told him I wanted to be bold with him, to go all in and he kissed me right in front of everyone. I love him more than I've ever loved anyone in my life. He's also my best friend. He knows me so well. That's why I can't understand why he reacted the way he did, why he didn't let me explain!"

Laura smiled. Kensi had confirmed what Laura had hoped, the woman truly loved Marty and she deserved to know where he was so that they could work this out. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. She pushed it across the table to Kensi who took it and opened it. It was an address in Santa Barbara. She looked up at Laura with a question on her face. Laura nodded and stood up. Kensi stood up as well. They stared at each other and Laura opened her arms. Kensi walked into them for a hug. Letting her go, Laura said "You both need to open up about how you feel and, more importantly, why. If you hide things from each other, how can you know how deep your words can cut? Marty told me some things that he should have told you a long time ago. _Make_ him tell you. You need to do the same. Be honest. You'll find your way. Now go!"

Kensi hugged her again and headed out to the car, not even noticing Neal opening the door for her. Neal watched her go and then looked out into the backyard to see his boss watching. He held up his hands with a motion to ask what had happened and was surprised when he saw his boss give two thumbs up; she was really starting to loosen up. He laughed and closed the door.

Kensi went home and showered. She decided to approach this in the same way she would an operation with him as the mark, not knowing how close her thoughts were to Deeks's when they had been tasked with protecting the Sheltons and he had had to get Meaghan to respond to him. She still had his go bag and would take it with her, only it wouldn't be packed with the clothes he had taken to Boston. She smiled when she thought about the look on his face when he opened it. She got into the car and pointed it to Santa Barbara.


	35. Chapter 35

A/N - Next storyline will be lighter and fluffier. Cassie and Paula are getting married!

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Chapter 35

When the knock came at the door Deeks knew it was her. Somehow, he always knew when she was near. He wasn't sure if he was ready to face her and wondered how she'd found him. The only explanation was that either Laura or Neal had told her. His bet was on Laura.

"What are you doing here Kensi?" he said when he opened the door. She held up his go bag in answer. He almost smiled, recognizing it as the excuse it was. There was nothing in that bag that couldn't have waited until she could give it to him at work on Monday and certainly nothing that was so important she had to make the drive from L.A. to Santa Barbara. He took the bag and put it down by the door but didn't move out of the way, not just yet.

"Can I come in? I have some things to say to you." she said.

"I think you've said enough." he replied quietly, still not moving.

"Actually, no I haven't. I have things I need to tell you, things that you need to hear." With this she pushed him into the house, following him. He let her, tired of fighting her and his own feelings. He was fighting a war within himself to just forgive her immediately. He knew he did that with her too easily. Let her get away with things that he never would have with any other woman. This time though, this time she'd hurt him deep down. He found himself hoping that whatever she had to tell him, would take away this pain.

"Okay, what is it that I need to hear?" he asked with a sigh.

"Deeks, when I was with Jack.." she started.

"I'm _not_ Jack, Kensi! How _many_ _times_ do I need to tell you that?" he interrupted, angry at the same old comparisons.

"I know you're not Jack, Deeks! I never loved Jack the way I love you! I just…I need to explain some things to you. Things I've only just realized myself!" Deeks nodded for her to continue. He was still angry with her but hearing her say she loved him more than Jack had set his heart to racing. He waited for her to go on.

"When Jack and I were engaged, we planned on having children. Back then, the idea made me happy! After he left, things changed. I was afraid to let anyone in, I've told you that. What I didn't realize until the other day is that, it also made me completely shut down the possibility of ever having a family of my own one day. When I saw him again in Afghanistan and found out that he had married, had had children with someone else, it brought back the old feelings of being inadequate, of not being quite good enough for him, or for anyone else."

He reached out and ran his thumb over her cheek, brushing away a tear she hadn't even realized she'd shed. "Jack Simon is lucky it wasn't me who was sent to Afghanistan after him. I would have killed him for what he did to you. He might not have been the White Ghost, but he was your ghost. One I'm tired of competing against." he said sadly.

"Don't you understand? Every day with you exorcises that ghost a little more! After he disappeared, all I was left with was a badly bruised and battered heart. Since the day I met Jason Wyler, you've healed those bruises a little more every day. Each day with you, every morning that I wake up with your arms around me, making me feel safe and protected, every time we make love, it heals a little more. Eventually, all I'll have left are some faded, fond memories of my first love. The rest will be all you! You just have to be a little patient with me for a while longer. I'm trying, I really am! I want so badly for this to work."

She took a deep breath. "You owe me an apology too. You walked out on me. You left me wondering where you were, if you were safe, if you were ever coming back. It feels like every man in my life has left me at some point. Dad, Jack, Dom even Renko."

He shook his head. "Kensi, the only person on that list that deserves to be there is Jack. The rest of them? They didn't leave you because they wanted to, they were taken from you. And you got justice for every one of them. You're right; I do owe you an apology for walking out. It was wrong, even if it hadn't been for your history. You deserve better than that, better than me."

"What? No! Any woman would be lucky to have you. How do I make you understand that I really feel that way?"

He tilted his head at her, evaluating her words. She said "Laura said you told her things about yourself that explained why you reacted the way you did. She told me to _make_ you tell me. She said that if we don't know these kinds of things about each other, then we can never know how our words or actions might be misconstrued. You know _everything_ about me; you need to share everything about you with me. It's the only way we can make this work."

Deeks smiled. "Laura said all that? She's a pretty smart cookie." He turned away and said "She's right but I'm so afraid that it will make you think differently of me. I don't want nor need anyone's pity, but I especially can't handle it from you."

She reached out and took hold of his arm, pulling him around to face her. "There's nothing that you could tell me that would make me pity you. I know the kind of man you are and anything that happened to you in the past? Those things made you this man. One I can trust with my love."

He took a deep breath and told her all the things that he had told Laura and more. Things that made her heart ache for the little boy he once was. She pictured him as a child and felt an overwhelming desire to protect that child. Tears made their way down her cheeks without her even realizing it. When he saw them, he frowned. "I told you I don't need pity, Kensi."

"I don't pity you Deeks. I meant what I said, those things made you into the man you are. I'm just wishing I could have known you then, you must have been an adorable little boy. I'm glad you finally told me these things and I can now understand why you may have taken my words so completely differently than the way I meant them."

She waited nervously and then realized she hadn't told him one more important thing. "Deeks, I went looking for you when I woke up on the plane. I found you asleep with that little baby sleeping so trustingly on your chest and something changed for me. I realized that I would be open to having a little ninja assassin with you, _if and when_ the time is right. To bring a new life into the world that was part me and part you? I think that would make me happy! I _know_ that that baby would be so lucky to have you as his dad. I also know you aren't with me just because it's convenient. I never meant to imply that you weren't a good man."

That smile that turned her to jelly lit up his face. He pulled her into his arms and held on tightly. "Little ninja assassins, huh?" he whispered into her hair. "I can picture them in my mind." He loosened his grip on her and continued. "We need to communicate better; you can't keep letting me think it's one thing we're fighting about when it's actually something completely different! Can you promise me that you'll just tell me what's bothering you from now on? That's the only way I can see this working. If you can't promise that, I don't see a future for us."

She leaned back and smiled up at him, the relief that they were getting past this almost overpowering. "I can promise that I'll try! And, I give you permission to call me on it if you think I'm not. You need to promise me that you'll never again walk away in the middle of a fight. You have to let me know if something I say hurts you."

"I think I can live with that." He kissed her and she put her arms around his neck, pulling him in tighter. He deepened the kiss and started to walk her backwards, towards the bedroom he was using, both of them shedding clothes as they went.

A while later he said, in between pants "Believe the hype!"

"What?" Kensi wasn't sure if she heard him right. She was not exactly grounded yet.

"Make up sex definitely lives up to its billing! I think we should fight more often."

She hit him with her pillow. "I can't believe you just said that!"

He laughed and then sobered. He pulled in her close to him and she rested her head on his chest. "I'm so sorry Princess."

She interrupted him. "You've already apologized for walking away Deeks; you don't have to keep doing it."

"I wasn't apologizing for that, although I am sorry for it. I was apologizing for the fact that the first time I said I love you was during a fight. I should have said it sooner and I wanted to say it first."

She pushed herself up on her elbow and stared down at him. She smiled; glad she could make him feel better about this. "It wasn't the first time you told me you loved me Deeks, it was the third time. And you did say it first."

"Third? I think I would remember telling a woman that I loved her for the first time in my life."

She blinked rapidly. "Did you really just say that you've never told any other woman before me that you loved her?"

He nodded and said "Can we get back to the other two times please?"

She laughed and placed a quick kiss on his lips before continuing "The first time was when you played that song you wrote at the club for us." She paused, drawing it out for effect.

"That doesn't count, Sugar Bear. I didn't say the words to you."

"Oh, it counts! Ask any woman who was in the club that night."

"If you say so. Second time?"

She closed her eyes and remembered the whole scene from the plane. "When I found you asleep with Melanie, I touched you. You opened your eyes but didn't wake up. I told you to go back to sleep and you told me, right then and there, that you loved me. I told you I loved you too."

"I wish I could remember! It sounds like a better memory than the one I have, of both saying it and hearing it for the first time."

"It's something I'll remember for the rest of my life. Something I'll share with our children when they get older."

He reached out and pulled her down for another kiss. "Our children. It has a nice ring to it. We can stay here until Sunday night. Wanna practice making little ninja assassins again?"

She laughed and nodded. Then the laughter stilled as the world tilted once more. She never did get to show him what was in his go bag.


	36. Chapter 36

A/N – thanks to anonkp for the description of Deeks in a top hat. I can't get it out of my head!

Thanks _again_ to honus47 for reviewing and giving me suggestions!

This is lighter and fluffier than the last story arc I posted. I needed something to offset that!

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Chapter 36

Deeks looked in the mirror and couldn't believe what he was seeing. He looked like Baby New Year in the Rankin-Bass Christmas special, Rudolph's Shiny New Year! How had he let Cassie and Paula talk him into this? It was all Kensi's fault. She just had to bring up the top hat joke that the guys had pulled on him all those months ago. He wondered how the rest of the guys were faring with their fittings. This was the final one as the wedding was this coming weekend and they were all trying on the full regalia. The girls had tagged along, under the guise of not wanting their men to mess things up. He sighed, he knew he was expected to come out of the dressing room and parade around in front of them but he really didn't want to.

He was about to finally head out when he heard Sam. "I'm going to kill him G! I look ridiculous! Why can't I just wear my dress uniform?"

"Because we're in the wedding Sam, you know that! Besides, you won't be able to kill him; I'll already have taken care of that! Top hat and tails? Who does this?"

"Friends of Deeks, that's who! If he hadn't introduced Michelle and Joelle to Cassie and Paula, we wouldn't be in this mess. How those girls got so close so fast, I don't know. Now we're all in the wedding and look at us!"

John Shelton exited his dressing room with the same disgruntled look on his face. "I'm never going to live this down you know! I'm an admiral in the United States Navy for Pete's sake!"

Deeks heard Eric chime in. "I don't know. I think we look pretty cool! Very sophisticated!"

Sam growled "Eric, you dress up for ren faires and cosplay, I can't take anything you say about these getups seriously! Deeks get your butt out here! You can't hide in there all day."

Deeks jumped when he heard Sam yell for him. Squaring his shoulders, he decided to pretend he liked how he looked. He calmly left his dressing room and promptly burst into laughter at the sight of Sam in the same getup. He really did look ridiculous. Callen didn't look much better, nor did Admiral Shelton. Eric, on the other hand, looked right at home in his. Sam glared at him and he swallowed his laughter.

"Deeks, how the hell did you get us involved in this?" Sam asked.

"Come on Sam. It's only one day and it will make the girls happy. Isn't that the only reason we're doing this anyway?" Deeks replied.

"I suppose, but I swear to you, if pictures of me dressed like this start showing up around OSP, you will die a slow and lingering death!"

Callen intervened. "Let's go show the girls how we look and then we can get out of these. Now!"

The five of them left the dressing area and wandered into the room where their significant others were waiting, along with Meaghan, Cassie and Paula. In the time they had been in changing, the group had grown to include Granger and Hetty. _Great, just great_! Deeks thought. _The more the merrier. And it will be merry as they all laugh at the way we look._

Shockingly, no one laughed. The women just looked at them with open mouths. Deeks watched Kensi as she licked her lips. What the hell? He looked over at Sam who was eying Michelle. Michelle had eyes for no one but him, her mouth opening and closing a couple times. Finally Cassie cleared her throat and said "This is going to be a wedding that no one is ever going to forget! I can't believe how handsome you all look. I think I'm going to cry!" Her eyes really did well up and she reached for Paula's hand. Paula looked all teary eyed as well, surprising Deeks. She wasn't the most demonstrative person.

Laura went up to John and kissed him full on the lips. Passionately. In full view of everyone. Meaghan was smiling from ear to ear. Nell seemed the least fazed by the whole thing, but then, she went to the same ren faires and cosplay events that Eric did. Granger just looked relieved he wasn't in the wedding. Once the shock wore off, the women walked around each of the men, checking on the fit, looking for flaws. When everyone was satisfied that no additional alterations needed to be made, they were able to hightail it back to their dressing rooms to change back into their regular clothes. The last thing Deeks heard before closing the door was Hetty saying "Intoxicating!" He shuddered, trying hard not to let those images form in his mind.

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The day of the wedding dawned clear and beautiful. The weather report indicated it would stay that way all day. Deeks and Kensi had finished their wedding present for the two women and Vivid Dreams had been practicing it for the last two weeks, every chance they got. Chris loved the song and asked if they could add it to their repertoire, Deeks told him he needed to ask Cassie and Paula, it was their song.

Waking up to the alarm, Deeks rolled over and kissed Kensi. "Wake up sleepy head; we need to get ready for the wedding of the century!"

Kensi groaned and mumbled "Five more minutes?"

He laughed and kissed her again. "Ok, but when I get out of the shower, you need to get up." She mumbled something he couldn't make out in return. He slid out of bed and padded into the bathroom. Once showered, he went in and tried waking Kensi again. At least this time he got her to open her eyes, if not get out of bed. Monty was at the sitters today as they had to leave early and were staying at the wedding venue tonight, so he didn't need to feed or walk him this morning, he just needed to get his sleepy girlfriend out of bed. He wandered towards the kitchen thinking he would scrounge something up for breakfast when he caught sight of his go bag. He kept meaning to put the dirty clothes in the laundry and fill it with clean stuff. He had two bags so that he always had one with clean clothes in it. The other one was at the Mission, ready in case they needed to leave in a hurry. He picked this one up and unzipped it. His jaw dropped open. It was definitely not filled with his clothes. He reached in and pulled out a sheer teddy in bright red. Hearing a sound, he looked up to find Kensi watching him from the bedroom doorway. "What?" he asked dazedly.

She blushed and said "I brought those with me to the house in Santa Barbara. You never gave me a chance to wear them and I kind of forgot about it."

"Them?" he looked back into the bag and saw several other outfits, all sheer and all in bright colors. "This bag is totally coming with us today!"

She laughed and headed into the bathroom for her own shower. He was tempted to follow her but they really did need to start getting ready. Their clothes were ready to move out to the car as they would be dressing at the wedding venue. He sighed, wishing they had more time. While he waited for her, he moved everything, including the go bag, out to her SRX. When he returned, she was out of the shower and in the bedroom, throwing on yoga pants and a t-shirt for the drive over. He stopped in the doorway and just drank her in. She was so beautiful and filled his world. And she was all his. How could he have been so lucky? She looked up and smiled at him.

"Are you nervous about presiding over the wedding?"

"Not really. I've practiced so many times; I can practically do it in my sleep. I don't get stage fright so I should be okay."

"I can't wait to see everyone all dressed up at the same time. It's going to be awesome."

"If you say so. I do love the way your dress looks on you though! Usually bridesmaids dresses are ugly or somehow unflattering, but this one? This one makes you look like a fairy princess." He had been bowled over when she tried on her dress for him. He had promptly taken it off for her. He felt his body respond to the memory and he started towards her.

"Not now Deeks! We don't have time." She recognized that look only too well and danced out of his reach. She knew how he felt. She had remembered the same scene and had felt the heat start in her belly. She was tempted to allow him to catch her. Reminding herself that they had somewhere to be, she instead smiled at him and said. "We have all night tonight to act on those thoughts! I'm looking forward to our mini vacation." The wedding was being held at the Casa Del Mar in Santa Monica and Kensi had booked a room as a surprise for him. This way they could stay as long as they wanted without having to worry about the drive home. Most of the rest of the wedding party had done the same. The other girls had followed Kensi's lead and had all booked rooms as a surprise for their guys. Nell and Eric were staying as well. Bets had been placed as to whether it would be one room or two. And Nell wasn't talking.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Deeks and Kensi finally pulled up in front of Casa Del Mar. They'd had to go back to his place three times for something one of them had forgotten. Twice for her, once for him and now they were running late. Cassie had already texted Kensi four times asking for an ETA. Cindy, who had gifted the brides with her services as their make-up artist and hairdresser, was almost done with everyone else. Deeks sent Kensi up to the room the hotel was providing for the bridal party to get ready in. He went to the registration desk to check them in, finding Eric already there. Deeks grinned to himself, wondering if he was here so much later than everyone else hoping to avoid anyone finding out how many rooms they'd booked. They had to have heard some scuttlebutt about the betting going on, they heard everything else. He sidled up behind the analyst silently and blatantly eavesdropped.

"I'm checking in for Nell Jones and Eric Beale. "

He was disappointed. He really had hoped the two of them were together and had placed his bet on one room and that Eric would be the one to let that cat out of the bag. He cleared his throat and smirked when Eric jumped and gasped. His friend turned around and said "Dude, don't do that! You know people can actually die from fright!"

"Sorry man, I didn't mean to scare you. You and Nell checking in? I don't see her anywhere."

"We were a little late so she went right up, I'm checking in for both of us. Where's Kensi?"

"Same. She headed up as well, leaving me to do the heavy lifting. Have you seen Admiral Shelton, Sam or Callen?"

"Yeah, they're all here and checked in." Turning back to the counter, Eric took both keys and picked up their bags. "I'll see you in the bridal suite after you guys get dressed?"

"Yup. We'll be there." Deeks replied. Eric disappeared towards the elevators. Deeks turned back to the desk and gave the woman their information. Once he had his keys, he started to turn away when a thought hit him. Giving the woman his best smile he looked at her name tag and asked "Caroline, do you offer adjoining rooms?"

Caroline just stared at him, her mouth slightly open. Deeks tilted his head and said "Caroline?"

She blinked several times and said without thinking "Oh, yes, we do. But your friend just took the last two we have available for tonight."

Deeks thanked her and walked to the elevators. He wondered if that would count as one room or two and if the adjoining factor negated all bets. In addition, he wondered why they would get adjoining rooms if they were together. For that matter, why get them if they weren't? He shook his head; he was never going to figure out how the minds of those two geniuses worked. He couldn't wait to tell Kensi to get her take on it.

Once he got to the room, he was pleased at how beautiful it was. This was going to be a great romantic weekend for the two of them. He carefully placed her dress in the closet and hung his suit over the bathroom door. All he had to do was put it on. Kensi and the rest of the girls were getting hair and make-up done. Then they would go back to their own rooms to dress, anyone not staying would dress in the suite. He figured he'd wait for her to get here before starting to get dressed himself. No sense in sitting around in tails, risking getting something dirty. He quickly unpacked the few things they had brought with them for their overnight stay. The items from the go bag _may_ have taken _just_ a little bit longer to make their way into the bureau. Once done he texted her their room number and plopped down on the couch. He wondered if he should just watch some television or go check out the hotel. The hotel won. He sent a group text to the guys to see who was doing what. Sam and Callen quickly responded that they were down by the pool. He hesitated; he'd brought his suit but didn't want to have to shower again. He sighed and left it in the drawer where he'd placed it and left the room.

Reaching the pool area, he found Sam and Callen, along with Admiral Shelton, sitting in lounge chairs enjoying the view. Said view being a tossup between the ocean and the girls in bikinis. Catching Sam watching a beautiful woman in a tiny red bikini, Deeks nudged him. "Do I have to tell Michelle what you do when she's not around to watch you?"

Sam grinned. "Just cause I'm on a diet, doesn't mean I can't look at the menu, Deeks. Besides, Michelle knows I love her and she has nothing to worry about."

Deeks looked over at Callen and the admiral. John held up his hands and said "What menu? I've just been sitting here, minding my own business, watching the waves roll in over the sand." Deeks snorted and looked at Callen who just smirked at him, not giving anything away per usual. Smiling, Deeks sat in an empty lounge chair that faced the ocean. The others looked at him in surprise; they figured for sure the surfer would be eying the ladies. He appeared to be lost in thought so they just continued their prior conversation around him.

Deeks startled when his text notification went off. He looked at his phone and saw that Kensi was done and on her way back to the room with no way to get in. He jumped up and said his goodbyes to the others. They watched him sprint away with smiles on their faces. The two of them never could stand to be separated for too long.

He reached the room just moments before she did and waited for her to reach him. He opened the door and bowed her in. She looked amazing even though she was still dressed in t-shirt and yoga pants. Her hair was up in some complicated do and his hands itched to pull it down. He actually raised a hand towards it only to have Kensi knock it away. "I spent too much time having my hair yanked this way and that for you to mess it up Deeks." She smiled enticingly at him and continued softly. "You can do it later tonight." He just about swallowed his tongue. He moved towards her for a kiss only to have her back away. "Make up Deeks! Don't smudge all Cindy's hard work!" He sighed and moved away, putting some distance between them so he could think.

"When do the brides want us to be back in the suite?" he asked her.

"In about an hour. They want to do more pictures before the wedding starts at one. We should start getting ready. You're going to have to help me put on the gown so it doesn't mess up my hair and make-up and no, that doesn't mean you get to mess them up. Yet."

"Okay, you first and then me or other way around?"

"Why don't you dress first?" Kensi settled herself on the bed to watch the show. When he took off his t-shirt, she gulped. Hearing the small sound he turned and looked at her. He recognized that look and found himself responding to it. Smiling, he slowly unbuttoned his cargo shorts then gradually unzipped them, not even realizing he was swaying to music only he could hear. Her eyes followed his every movement, her eyes getting wider. When he finally dropped the shorts to the floor, she flushed and licked her lips. He felt his heart stutter in his chest. No other woman had ever been able to make his heart do that with just a look and a small action.

Kensi snapped out of it when she realized he was heading towards her with one thing on his mind. "Wedding! Wedding! We don't have time for this! You need to finish getting dressed and stop with the strip teasing!"

"You started it!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

They stopped and grinned at each other, both wishing the wedding was over and they were back in the room, alone with nowhere they had to be. Deeks turned away and finished getting dressed, leaving the top hat, cane and gloves on the bed to be put on later. "Your turn Princess."

Kensi stood up and held her arms up. He looked at her in confusion. A few minutes ago she had said no. "I need you to help me get this t-shirt off without messing everything up." He closed his eyes and groaned. How the hell was he supposed to do that and keep his hands off her? "Come on Deeks, time is wasting!" He took a deep breath and reached for the bottom of her t-shirt, pulling it up and over her head as she protected it. Seeing the flush on his face, she felt kind of bad. Sounding somewhat apologetic, she said "I guess I should have worn a button up shirt, I just didn't think."

He managed to squeak out "Yeah, yeah you should have." Looking at how his eyes were dilated, Kensi couldn't help but feel powerful. This man could bring her to her knees with a smile. It felt good to know she had the same impact on him. Deciding to put him out of his misery, she moved away from him to finish getting dressed. The dress was complicated and required both of them to concentrate, allowing their pulses to settle back to normal.

Once she was in the dress and all buttoned up, she turned to look in the full length mirror on the door. He moved in behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist loosely so as not to wrinkle anything and locked eyes with her. She sighed and said "We look like a Victorian novel." He expected her to snort laugh but instead she leaned back into him, smiling gently.

"Yeah. It's a love story." He said softly. Her eyes widened in surprise at the memory his words invoked.

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A.N - Please review if you like this story (or don't like it)! Also, leave prompts if you think of something!


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Deeks watched the expressions chase themselves across Kensi's face. "What did I say Princess?" he asked.

Kensi smiled softly at him in the mirror. "I'm sure you remember when I showed up at your house with Drunken Pigs and beer when you wouldn't return my calls or texts after, um, after Sidorov? I was rambling on about that movie I wanted you to watch with me. It was Burnt Offerings and you fell asleep right in the middle of my description of the movie's plot. I told you flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz showed up and you mumbled that those monkeys were scary. I settled down next to you, so happy that you were finally able to rest. I asked you what happens next, figuring I wouldn't get a reply and you said that it was a love story. I'll always remember that."

"Really? I have no memory of that at all!"

"Well, you were dead asleep by that point."

"I really need to stop telling you relationship altering things while I'm sleeping! It would be nice to remember them."

She laughed and turned back towards him, placing a quick kiss on his lips. "You do know you have entire conversations while you're asleep, right?"

"What? I do not!"

"Yup! It's actually pretty adorable." She laughed at the expression on his face. He really didn't know he talked in his sleep. She turned away and her eyes landed on the clock on the bedside table. "Oh man, we need to go now! I'm surprised Cassie and Paula haven't sent out search parties!" Just as she finished, both their phones went off, indicating text messages. She grabbed up the hat, gloves and cane off the bed and thrust them at him. "Move, move, move!"

They left the room in a hurry and headed up to the suite where everyone else was waiting. Seeing all the men in their top hats, gloves and canes, together for the first time with the women in their elegant ball gowns, he suddenly realized that they didn't look ridiculous at all. Cassie and Paula were nowhere to be seen. They wouldn't see each other until just before they walked down the aisle. As untraditional as this wedding was, that was one that they insisted on keeping. Neither was superstitious but they didn't want to tempt fate. The photographer was waiting and led them outside to get some candid pictures around the grounds, some with the ocean behind them, some with the beautiful building. Eventually it was time.

The guys kissed their significant others goodbye and headed into the Bow where the wedding was being held, the women heading to where the brides were waiting. Deeks went to the stage at the end of the aisle, practicing his lines again in his head. As groomsmen, the rest of the guys would greet and seat the guests before taking their spots to the right of the stage. The guest list was small and intimate and soon everyone was seated and the men were all in position. The music for the Wedding March began and everyone turned to watch the bridal party start their procession.

The first ones down were the flower girl, who was a young cousin of Paula's, and the ring bearer who was Cassie's nephew, both adorable in their formal outfits. The tiny tails and top hat elicited awwws from everyone in the room. The bridesmaids then started their walk and Nell was first to appear. While the dresses were all similar in design, the brides had let each person pick their own color as long as it was in a jewel tone. Nell was dressed in a deep emerald green and looked like a beautiful wood sprite or pixie. Deeks glanced over at Eric to find the man's eyes wider than he'd ever seen them. He smiled at the love struck look on the tech's face. They may or may not be together but he was pretty sure it wasn't because Eric didn't want it.

Looking at the rest of the men, he noticed that Sam looked shell shocked. He turned back to the procession and he saw Michelle had appeared in a ruby colored dress that really brought out how beautiful she was. Joelle was next in amethyst, stunning, and he didn't have to look at Callen to know what the man looked like. Laura then appeared, in dark turquoise and elegant as always. The admiral was a lucky man.

He knew Kensi would be next and he felt his heart start to beat erratically. He knew what she looked like in the dress, he'd seen it several times, but not in this setting and he was waiting with bated breath. When she appeared in her sapphire gown, holding her flowers in front of her, he literally couldn't breathe. She was beyond beautiful to him; he couldn't find the words to describe her even to himself. While he watched her walk towards him, suddenly her dress was white and she wore a veil over her face. He blinked several times and his blue clad girlfriend was back. What the hell was that?

After the bridesmaids came Cassie's maid of honor, her sister Chrystal, in deep, deep orange. Behind her was Paula's maid of honor, her cousin and best friend Miranda, in brilliant yellow. When all the girls were lined up on the left they looked like a beautiful bouquet of flowers or a group of vibrant butterflies. He had to admit, Cassie and Paula certainly had flair. There had been some concern that the sides would be uneven but the brides didn't care, they wanted who they wanted in their ceremony and neither maid of honor was currently in a relationship nor did they have any other men they wanted to ask to to fill in the gap. There was a pause and then Paula appeared on the arm of her father. Dressed in stark white in simple lines, she was ethereal. The happiness on her face made Deeks smile from ear to ear. She hadn't had the easiest time with her choices. Her parents had taken a while to come to terms with the fact that their only daughter was gay, but they had eventually accepted it and now supported her whole heartedly. It didn't hurt that they adored Cassie.

Cassie was the last to appear, on the arm of her stepfather. Her own father had died when Cassie was very young and the only father she'd ever known was this man. Her gown was also white but more playful, more in line with her own personality. The fathers brought the two to the stage and Cassie's stepfather placed her hand in Paula's. Together they made a striking couple. The two smiled at each other with such love that it brought a tear to many an eye of their guests. They turned to face Deeks. He cleared his throat and began the wedding. They had each written their own vows, not wanting to use the traditional ones, as both were of religions which did not yet accept the way they lived their lives. They had both agreed to keep it short and simple.

Paula went first. "Cassie, you brought light and love into my life. You showed me that it was okay to be myself and not what I thought others wanted me to be. You are everything I could ever have asked for and so much more. You've given me things I didn't even know I wanted until I met you. I know it won't always be fun and games. Life can be hard, but I can promise you that we will always work it out, together. I will love and cherish you for the rest of our lives together and beyond." She placed the wedding ring on Cassie's hand.

Cassie was near tears and had to clear her throat. "Paula, I knew the moment I met you that you were the one. No one else has ever made me feel this way. I never thought this would be my future, with you by my side forever more. I never dreamed I could be so lucky. There will never be another for me. I promise to love and cherish you for the rest of our lives together and beyond." She placed the wedding ring on Paula's hand.

Deeks cleared his throat, a little choked up himself as he watched two people he cared so much about finally joined in marriage. "It is my honor and privilege, as friend to you both, to now pronounce you married in the eyes of the state of California and in the hearts of all those present. You are partners in love, and in all things, now and forever." Cassie and Paula kissed to the enthusiastic applause of the guests.

They turned to face their friends and families and held up their joined hands. Cassie shouted "Let's get this party started!" The room erupted in laughter as the two headed back up the aisle. The maids of honor were next and then each groomsman joined his bridesmaid for their walk. Kensi and Deeks were last. He looked at her and once again saw her in white, this time with the veil pulled back and he stopped. He wondered if this was a side effect of something that had been on his mind for awhile now.

"What's the matter Deeks?" she asked, a little freaked out by the expression on his face, partly confusion, partly awe. He shook himself and smiled.

"Nothing, Sugar Bear, nothing at all! Let's go party!" He held out his arm and she hooked hers in it with a huge smile on her face.

"Have I told you today that you look….intoxicating?"

"Really Kensi? I know you did NOT just go there!"

She laughed and pulled him up the aisle.

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A/N – this was supposed to be the last chapter in the wedding story line but it got away from me. Hope it wasn't to wordy or mushy but this isn't my strong suit.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Their part in the wedding pictures was finally done. The bridal party had been introduced and dinner served. The men had been able to hand their top hats over to the coat check for safe keeping. Other than Deeks's, the others were rentals and needed to go back in one piece. Their glee to get rid of them was short lived and ended when Michelle started using her cell phone to look up where to buy top hats in L.A. with Joelle, Nell and Laura peering over her shoulder. Other than Eric, the men glared at Deeks, who was trying to do his best impression of the Invisible Man.

The clinking of glasses made for one continual musical note for the entire meal, the brides good naturedly kissing even when one time the chime had just been several people clinking glasses after a toast. The room was filled with conversation and laughter. When it came time for the cutting of the cake, Paula had tried to keep it well behaved but Cassie had just smushed her piece right in Paula's face. The ensuing cake battle had everyone in stitches, although it left the cake a little worse for wear.

Once the brides were cleaned up, Chris requested all the single women out on the floor. Kensi, Nell and Joelle joined the other single female guests, giggling as the brides stood with their backs to them, bouquets poised. Together they flung them over their heads, one landing in Joelle's arms, the other in Kensi's. Both women looked stunned. Deeks looked over at Callen who looked like a deer in the headlights. He smirked at the man. Turning, he found Sam's eyes on him. He smiled widely at him and Sam's eyebrow quirked and he opened his mouth to say something when the bridesmaids returned to their table, Kensi and Joelle showing off their trophies and Nell looking a little sad.

Deeks heart squeezed to see his Velma looking down and leaned over to whisper in Kensi's ear. She smiled at him and whispered to Joelle who nodded. Reaching out, he pulled a couple flowers out of each bouquet and made a third, tying it together with some of the ribbon from around the champagne glasses on the table. He stood up and walked over to where Nell sat and handed it to her with a bow and a grin. She smiled up at him and chanced a look at Eric. His mouth was hanging open as his eyes flitted between the bouquet, Deeks and her. Deeks just grinned at him and went back to his own girl.

Vivid Dreams continued to play in the background and he watched Cindy watch Chris with pride on her face. There was so much love here tonight, he thought, feeling surrounded and warmed by it. Cindy had been asked to be in the bridal party but, between the fact that she was still nursing L.C. and that Chris would be playing in the band all night, she had sadly declined. Privately, she had confided in Deeks that the idea of parading around in a full length ball gown had terrified her. He loved Cindy to death, but even he had to admit she was a klutz on wheels. Paula and Cassie had still sat her at the head table with the rest of them anyway. That band of girls stuck together.

When the meal was cleared away, Chris announced the bridal dance. "Could Paula and Cassie please come to the floor for their first official dance as a married couple? The song they will be dancing to tonight is one that was written especially for them as wedding gift from Marty and Kensi. Ladies and gentleman, Paula and Cassie!" Everyone in the room stood and clapped as the two moved onto the dance floor to the opening strains of their song. Deeks moved in behind Kensi and wrapped his arms around her waist. She leaned back into him as they watched their friends out on the floor in the spotlight. They looked so wonderful together as they danced to the beautiful music being played; staring into each other's eyes as the words that so perfectly described their journey towards this very moment swept over them. When the song and dance finished, there were not many dry eyes left in the room. Kensi turned in his arms and kissed him gently. "You gave them something they will remember and cherish for the rest of their lives!"

He smiled down at her. "WE gave them that, us, together." She returned his smile but felt there was something more behind his words. She was about to ask what when the rest of the bridal party surged past them, intent on heading out to the dance floor when Chris requested they join the brides. The members of Vivid Dreams were all accomplished musicians and the waltz that they began to play was beautifully done. Deeks had gotten all the men, including the Admiral when he was in town, dance lessons at his friend Karen's studio. They had all secretly learned the rudimentary steps of the waltz and were intent on showing their better halves what they could do. Deeks took her hand and bowed over it. "May I have this dance?" She nodded and they headed out to the floor, the brightly clad women in formal gowns making a beautiful contrast to the dark clad men in tails. Cameras were clicking all over the room as the men swung their women in circles to the music.

Once the bridal party had had their waltz, Vivid Dreams began to play a mixture of classic soft rock, original works by the band and snuck in a few more waltzes. Surprisingly, Hetty and Granger, who for some reason the brides had taken a shine to, appeared on the dance floor together more than once. The floor was always full and the NCIS team had finally been introduced to the young man who had accompanied Meaghan to the wedding. She had yet to officially claim he was her boyfriend but the team subjected him to the same treatment they would any young man with designs on their Meaghan. He had no idea that he had just been vetted by the CIA, NCIS and LAPD and passed. He simply mentioned to her later that her parent's friends were a scary bunch. She laughed and told him he had no idea.

When the women disappeared to help the brides change into the going away outfits they would wear on the first leg of their honeymoon tip to Fiji, Deeks wandered out to the balcony overlooking the ocean. Today had cemented something that he had been pondering for a while and he needed to talk to Sam and Callen. If they approved, he would then have to talk to Hetty and Granger. Only when he knew how his plan would impact him and Kensi, would he move forward. He planned to move forward no matter what, he just needed to know what obstacles he may be facing. He turned to hunt the two men down only to find them standing right behind.

"Jeez! You two taking lessons from Hetty? Warn a guy, will you?" he squeaked out.

"Deeks, you were so deep in thought we can have had a marching band announce our arrival and you would still have been oblivious. What's up?" asked Sam. Based on the look on Deeks's face after the bouquet toss, he had a very good idea what it was and was surprised to find that he was okay with it. He hoped his partner and their team leader would think the same.

"I was just coming to look for you two. I need to ask you something." He paused, not sure how to continue now that the moment was finally here.

"Were you planning on asking today?" asked Callen when the silence dragged on.

"What?" He blinked owlishly. "Oh, yeah, yeah, today, yeah today." and stopped again.

"Deeks, spit it out!" Sam gently chided him.

"Okay, okay, here goes." He took a deep breath and blurted out before his courage left him "I want to ask Kensi to marry me and I want, I need, your blessing!"

Callen's jaw dropped open but Sam just smiled, pleased that their friend valued them enough to ask their permission to marry their "little sister". Callen snapped his jaw shut and replied "I can't guarantee that NCIS will let you stay partners, Deeks. I can put in my two cents but ultimately it will be Hetty and Granger and maybe even Vance who makes that decision."

Deeks looked at him with a smile. "I know that Callen and, whatever happens we'll deal with it. I don't want to lose her as my partner and, if we're split up, I will worry about her every second of every day, but that's not what I'm asking you."

Both men now looked confused. "Then what _are_ you asking Deeks?" asked Sam.

"I want to know that both of you approve of me asking her. Nothing to do with work, but as her big brothers, the closest thing she has to male family members, are you okay with me wanting to marry her?" He watched both of them anxiously.

Callen was tempted to let the man sweat a little but his partner punched him in the shoulder, knowing exactly what he was thinking. Sam smiled at Deeks and said "We'd be proud for you to ask her to marry you, Marty. She couldn't find anyone else who will love her as much as you do. I don't envy either of you the life you'll have together but, for some reason, it works." Deeks was too pleased with Sam's response to note that he had called him by his first name. When he thought about it later, he was sure it might have been the first time since they'd known each other.

He looked at Callen, waiting for his response. Callen looked him in the eyes for a few seconds, unable to resist teasing him. When Deeks looked like he was about to crumble, he grinned and said "Better you than me!"

The smile that lit up Deeks's face was blinding. "Thanks you guys! That means so much to me, you have no idea." His smile dimmed a little. "Now I just have to talk to Hetty and Granger. Maybe I should just wait to see if she says yes before braving that?"

A voice piped up somewhere around his rib cage startling all three of the men. "You certainly have my permission Mr. Deeks. Rest assured that I will do everything in my power to make sure that the two of you remain partners, as long as you do everything in your power to keep your personal lives out of our cases."

Deeks nodded enthusiastically, willing to promise anything if it meant being able to marry Kensi _and_ stay on as her partner. For the first time he noticed Granger standing behind his boss. He gulped a little and waited for the man to say something. Granger stared at the detective and finally grinned and said "It's about time."

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A/N – ring shopping and proposal are still a few chapters away. Will she or won't she? I know what I'm hoping for. How about you?

Prior to that, a little Deeks whumping based on some suggestions from reviewers!


	40. Chapter 40

A/N – this is based on suggestions from several reviewers including ohBuddy66, Raderle and yellowcallalily. If you don't like this series of chapters, blame them! If you do, it was all me!

Just kidding, I really appreciate them taking the time to review and give me such wonderful plot bunnies.

Warning – Deeks whumpage ahead!

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Chapter 40

Deeks drummed his fingers on the table he sat at. How the hell had he ended up in an interview room at Victorville Federal Prison on his day off? He should be sitting on his board in the ocean, waiting for the perfect swell or snuggled up to Kensi in one of their beds, nothing to do but stay there for the rest of the weekend. He still wasn't sure why he had agreed to this meeting. His first instinct had been to emphatically say no, hell no! But Kensi had talked him into it, even making the hour and a half ride up here with him. Although, with the way she drove, it had actually been closer to just over an hour. She thought the man he was about to see might give away something more they could use against him. She was waiting out in the car for him, probably munching her way through her stash of Twinkies. He had to smile at the image this thought brought to mind.

The smile dimmed. When Mitchell Timmons's attorney had first contacted him to say that the ex-judge wanted a face to face meeting, he couldn't figure out what the man's angle was. There was nothing he and Timmons could possibly have to say to each other, yet here he was at Victorville, waiting for them to bring Timmons to him.

The door opened and the man on his mind shuffled in with his guards. He wasn't shackled as he wasn't a violent offender and he still looked so smug and sure of himself. Deeks looked up and grinned, trying to decide what to say that might deflate the bastard a little, settling on "You look good in orange, Timmons! Enjoying the communal showers? You appear to be squeaky clean. One might even say you're glowing! Have you found a _special_ friend in the short time you've been here?"

Timmons scowled at him, not liking the fact that Deeks had immediately taken control of the conversation or the words tumbling out of his mouth. This is not the way he wanted it to start. He was the one who should be saying something witty and cutting to the shaggy haired excuse of a detective sitting so casually at the table, but he had to play nice. He had two plans and the detective's response would put one of them into motion. Not wanting Deeks to walk out, something he himself couldn't do, he got his anger under control and responded. "Detective Deeks. Thank you for taking the time to come see me."

Deeks looked at him in surprise, this was not the way he had pictured this meeting going in his head. "I'm here, what did you want?"

Timmons leaned forward. "My attorney tells me I have you to thank for my current predicament as well as that of my son. I was hoping we could come to an arrangement. I could give you information you don't have and you agree to help Paul."

Deeks laughed. "There's nothing you could offer me that would make me want to do that. We have more than enough on you to convict you for life. You need every penny you have to pay for your lawyer, so I know you can't be offering me a bribe. I know that your wife hasn't been to see you since you were jailed. That, in fact, she's filed for divorce and tied up most of your property holdings, the ones that weren't seized that is. As for your son, he's already signed a full confession in exchange for not being charged as an adult. He's locked away where he can't hurt anyone else and he's also getting help for his…issues. I think you should be grateful for that." He paused and then continued out of curiosity. "What information do you have that you think could possibly interest me?"

"I won't give you that information until you agree to get Paul's sentence reduced to time served."

"And I've already told you that we don't need whatever information you have. Your son is going to stay where he is and serve out his full sentence! Why would you think I'd work with you on this if you weren't planning on telling me who or what this vague information has to do with? Give me some idea of what you're talking about."

"Steve Parks."

Deeks demeanor changed immediately. Timmons had gotten Parks off on an arms dealing charge years ago and Parks had then retaliated against the people who arrested and prosecuted him, resulting in the death of two of Deeks's closest friends. He had forgotten Parks was incarcerated here as well. This was not good. "What about Parks?" he growled.

"That's all you get until you meet my demands."

Deeks smiled at the man sitting on the opposite side of the table but it didn't reach his eyes. "There is nothing that would make me get into bed with you, even if it meant avenging Katie and Michael's deaths. They're gone and nothing I do will bring them back. However, there are people, young girls, out there who your son could go on to hurt. The longer he stays locked up, the happier I'll be. Parks is locked up for life, adding another charge against him won't add any more time to his sentence. Not to mention Katie would come back to haunt me if I ever agreed to it." He stood up to leave.

Timmons lost his temper and also stood up. "It's your fault I'm in here! My attorney told me it was you that pushed NCIS to look into me! That NCIS then had SecNav push the Judiciary Committee to have me arrested and tried! It's your fault my son is locked away! I'll make sure you pay, you sorry son of a bitch!"

Deeks stood toe to toe with the angry man, fully aware of the alert guards watching through the glass, ready to step in at any time but allowing him to handle this his way, out of respect for the job. He shook his head and said "It _amazes_ me how you all say the _same_ thing! It's _your_ fault, _you're_ the reason I'm locked up! It's not! _You're_ the reason you're here Timmons. _You_ made the decision to accept bribes and influence the outcome of trials. _You_ let dangerous people back out onto the streets so that they could go on hurting people, all for money, _not_ me! _Paul_ is the reason he's where he is. _He_ decided assaulting and raping young girls was perfectly acceptable and, that if he got caught, expected that you'd just get him out of it! I'm just the sorry son of a bitch who managed to catch you both!" He paused and smiled, this time the smile lighting up his eyes. "And I sleep better every night knowing that!"

He quickly stepped back and dodged the right hook Timmons swung at him, Sam's training kicking in. He would have to thank the big guy later, although he was pretty sure Sam would ream him out for being here in the first place. He and Kensi hadn't told the rest of their team about this little visit as they were pretty sure the boys would argue against it and Hetty might well have ordered them to stay away.

The door burst open and the guards came in to subdue the inmate currently swinging at the detective who kept dancing away, just out of arms reach, frustrating the man even more. Deeks cheerily waved goodbye as they none too gently dragged Timmons away, the man screaming threats at Deeks until he was finally out of earshot. His smile faded. He would need to talk to the NCIS crew to see if they shared his misgivings that Timmons and Parks were locked up together now that Timmons was offering up some kind of info on Parks. He sighed and left the prison, heading back to the car and a talk with Kensi.

He opened the passenger door to the SRX to find his partner trying to hide all the empty Twinkie wrappers. He had to laugh, to this day he couldn't figure out how she ate all that she did and stayed so trim, so built, so hot. Ok, now was not the time to go there. He cleared his throat and said "Well, that went well."

"So? What did Timmons have to say?"

"He offered me information if I'd get Paul's sentence reduced to time served."

"What kind of information? On who or what?"

Deeks turned his head away and sighed. "Steve Parks."

"Parks? The guy who ordered the hit on your friends? What did you tell him?"

"That I had no interest in his information and that Paul would serve out his term. That I slept better at night knowing the both of them were locked away. That Katie wouldn't have wanted me to have anything do with it. "

Kensi nodded and reached out to pull his head back around to look him in the eyes. "You're right. I didn't know her, but from what you've told me about her, she would've kicked your ass if you had." She paused, searching his eyes. "There's something else bothering you, isn't there?"

He nodded, frowning. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about but, when Timmons brought up Parks, I remembered he's locked up here too. It's a huge place and I'm sure they have no contact. There's just something about the two of them, in there together, that makes my spidey sense tingle."

"Spidey sense? Really Deeks?" Kensi laughed at his words but she had learned over the years of being his partner that it was best to listen to his gut feelings, they almost always turned out to be right. "Let's get the team to look into whether they've had any contact or not. It couldn't hurt. We'll fill them in on Monday."

He smiled at her "Always got my back, hey partner?"

She grinned and leaned into him for a kiss. "As your partner, I've got your back. As your girlfriend, I've got everything else!" When they finally came up for air, both were breathing heavy and agreed that outside a federal penitentiary was not the best place for this to conclude. Kensi started the car and pointed it towards home.

Deeks sat quietly, not thinking about Timmons as his partner assumed he was, but instead that he hadn't had the chance to start ring shopping yet. There had been back to back cases since the wedding and they'd barely had time to breath. He planned on asking for Nell and Laura's advice on what ring to pick. Nell, because she was the closest thing to a best friend Kensi had, Cat, Mindy, Mandy, Tiffany, and Tiffany aside. He included Laura because he found her taste to be impeccable and he felt as close to her as family. Once he had picked out a couple rings, he would get the rest of the girl gang involved so that no one would feel left out. How had his life come to this? He decided he wouldn't change a thing. When Kensi offered him a penny for his thoughts, he used Timmons and Parks as his excuse for introspection and they discussed the two the rest of the way home, which was his place this weekend.

Monday morning, they let the rest of their team in on the events of the weekend. Granger listened to what Deeks had to say and decided it was worth looking into. The detective had been right about Timmons in the first place and he had come to trust the younger man's instincts, weird though they sometimes seemed. Of course, this was not something he would ever admit to anyone on this team. He approved the wonder twins looking into any connection between the two men, other than the one they already knew about. He caught himself when he realized how he'd referred to the two analysts. He really needed to get out of L.A. Apparently this team was highly contagious.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Sam and Callen pulled up behind Kensi's SRX where she and Deeks stood gearing up to breach the empty warehouse in front of them. Sam opened up the back of the Challenger and the two men geared up as well, thigh holsters, NCIS Kevlar vests and rifles being the ensemble of the day. Sam closed the trunk and moved up to the other two.

"Any movement?" he asked.

Deeks answered. "Nothing. All of the buildings around here are empty. There's no one to canvas. It's starting to get dark out, we should get going. Front or back?"

Together, as they always did, both men answered "Front." Deeks frowned this time, feeling off and not making his usual snarky comment about the fact that the two of them answering in unison was adorable.

"What's up Deeks?" their team leader asked.

"This is the third anonymous tip about military weapons being sold to terrorists in the last two weeks, all in abandoned warehouses. The other two times turned out to be hoaxes. I just have a bad feeling about this. Like we're being tested or something. You guys always say it's bad tradecraft to follow the same routine all the time. I'm thinking maybe we should change it up and you guys go in the back, if we go in at all."

Callen sighed. "Deeks, that's meant for our personal time. When we're out here as federal agents, heavily armed agents I might add, routine is what we need. We need to be able to predict what each of us will do at any given moment without words. We can't take a chance on this one being another hoax; you know that as well as I do. We go in the front; you go in the back, just like always. "

Callen turned and eyed Kensi who hesitated, her partner's uneasiness infecting her. Eventually she nodded her acquiescence. Deeks sighed and fell into place as his team moved in. He still felt like something was wrong. He and Kensi waited outside the back door for Sam and Callen to get into position. They looked at each other and executed the ritual that had started not too long ago. He mouthed "I love you" to her and she mouthed "I love you too" back at him. Together they mouthed "Be careful", both nodding that they would be.

When Callen came over the comms giving the green light, the two of them opened the door and swung their rifles in front of them. Moving like the well-oiled machine the team was, they moved through the warehouse that, while abandoned, was still full of crates, carefully going around each corner, making sure no one got the drop on them. When they came to a point where they needed to split up, Kensi went left as always and Deeks went right. As hyper-vigilant as he was, he never saw the front of the very large crate he had just passed swing open silently and a dark figure emerge. When he finally sensed the movement behind him, it was too late and a hand forced a cloth over his nose and mouth. He wasn't prepared and had to take a breath, pulling the chemical on the cloth into his lungs, not recognizing the smell of what he was breathing. He had just enough time to elbow his attacker in the ribs but it wasn't enough. His last thoughts were of Kensi, hoping she was okay as he sank into darkness.

The man holding him up reached into Deeks's right ear and pulled out the earwig. He pitched it down between a row of crates where the space between them was too narrow for a person to fit. He laughed silently, thinking of the other cops trying to follow the GPS on it. He picked the unconscious man up in a fireman's carry, not wanting to leave drag marks behind that could lead the others to his hiding place, and went back to the crate. Entering, he dumped the cop in the corner and then pulled the front of the crate quietly closed behind him, latching it tightly so that no one could tell that this crate was any different from any of the hundreds surrounding it.

Turning back, he activated his cell phone for lighting. There was a large lock box waiting in the other corner and he quickly removed the thigh holster, vest and rifle from the downed man. Patting him down, he found a knife in his boot and another gun in his waistband. This guy was seriously armed. Once these had been placed in the lock box, he turned back and patted down the man's pockets. Pulling out the cop's cell phone, he turned it off and took out the battery, throwing both in the box. He then pulled out the guy's badge and wallet. Opening the badge he read: Martin A. Deeks, LAPD Detective. Smiling, he threw these last items in and then closed and padlocked the box.

He typed on his cell quickly.

 _Got him. We're concealed. Turning off phone as planned. Will wait 30 minutes to check in on phase 2._

 _Understood. 30 minutes to phase 2. Eyes and ears on the building._

He turned off his phone and removed the battery, sticking both in his jacket pocket and leaned back to wait, getting up only once to put the cloth over the detective's mouth again when it looked like he was coming to.

Out in the warehouse, the rest of the NCIS team finished their sweep, finding nothing, just like the last two times. Over the comms, Ops heard

"Clear" Sam.

"Clear" Callen.

"Clear" Kensi.

They all waited for the last check in that didn't come.

"Deeks, check in now!" Callen said.

"Deeks?" Kensi called, starting to freak out. Still no response.

"Eric, can you tell if his earwig is working?"

"Yes, it's up and working!"

"Can you locate it?"

"Yes, I'm tracking the built in GPS right now. It says he's on the north side of the warehouse. Callen, you're in the south, Sam west and Kensi east. You need to make your way over to the north side." The three agents converged while Eric talked them in. When they were finally together, the tech navigated them to where the GPS said Deeks was.

"Eric, there's no one here, are you sure this is where the GPS says he is?"

"Yes, he should be right there, about five feet in front of you to the east."

"There's nothing here to the east but crates Eric."

"I don't know what to tell you! I'm working blind here, there're no cameras I can access to get you any closer. The only thing I have to work on is the GPS in his earwig. Wait! I'll see if I can track his phone. Maybe he lost his earwig and is in another area of the warehouse." Eric looked over at Nell, the look on her face mirroring his as they worried about what had happened to their friend. Clicking away on his computer, he executed a command and waited to see what would happen. When nothing did, he tried several others. Looking over at Nell he mouthed "Get Hetty!" She quickly nodded and ran out of Ops.

"Um, guys? I can't find Deeks's phone. It's been turned off."

The man in the box grinned as he listened to the faint voices that made their way into where he and the man they were looking for were. He had hated the idea of this James Bond crap when it had been suggested but, after a week of following the detective, they knew they wouldn't be able to grab him from one of his usual places. The man was never alone, always with the brunette or the rest of his team. They never followed the same route home, hell; they never went to the same home! Never went to the same store twice, never went anywhere in the same pattern, it was beyond frustrating.

When his boss had suggested luring the team into trap and surgically removing the detective from the rest, he hadn't bought it but had gone along. This warehouse was always the end game. They had spent time tricking out the crate he was currently sitting in, as well as wiring the building with closed circuit cameras that neither LAPD nor NCIS would be able to access, but gave his man on the outside a complete view of all activity. The other two phony tips had been to watch the team work, to see out if they could figure out a pattern to the team dynamics during a raid. Color him surprised that the team followed the same rigid pattern each time. Their target and the brunette always went in the back. If split up, the brunette would always go left, the target right. Once they knew the pattern, they had created a split and positioned the crate on the target's path. Now he was sitting here, mission successful and with a plan to get both of them out. He was feeling pretty confident at this point. He listened in to the scene playing out right outside his hiding spot.

"Can you turn it back on?" asked Sam.

"I already tried. The battery's been removed."

While Eric and Sam were talking, Callen and Kensi continued to scour the area. It was Callen who noticed the semi shiny object sitting just beyond his reach between two rows of crates. Pulling out his phone, he turned on the light and shone it down the narrow space. When it landed on what was obviously Deeks's earwig, the senior agent sucked in his breath. It was enough to alert Kensi and Sam that he'd found something. They both converged on his position and stood staring at the abandoned piece of equipment that they had hoped would lead to their friend's whereabouts.

Clicking on his own earwig, Callen said quietly "We found it."

Not noticing his choice of words, Eric sagged in relief "Is he okay?"

"No, Eric, we found the earwig, still no sign of Deeks."

"He has to be there, right? I've had eyes and ears on the outside of the building through traffic cams since you guys went in. No one has gone in or come out! You've only been in there about 15 minutes. Where could he be?"

"Damn good question!" Callen looked over at Kensi who was struggling to contain her fear about what had happened to the most important person in her life. "Kens, we'll find him even if we have to tear this building apart brick by brick." He reached out and patted her on the arm, awkwardly trying to comfort his junior agent.

"He knew something was wrong, Callen. He knew it and we all just ignored him. We should have listened to him!"

"I know Kens, but there's nothing we can do about it now. You need to stay strong and help us look for him, okay?"

She nodded and pulled herself up straight. She would never stop looking. Splitting up, they began searching the warehouse, Sam starting from the spot Deeks had last been seen, Kensi and Callen starting at the spot where they found the earwig. Moving in an ever expanding circle, they moved through the building as they searched everywhere they could think of and still no sign of him. Twenty minutes later they converged and Callen was just about to call in reinforcements with crowbars, to open every single crate in the building if necessary, when Nell's voice came over the comms.

Excitedly she said "Guys! LAPD just got four separate phone calls about a tall blonde man in a vest with NCIS on it, heavily armed and staggering down Culver Blvd. It sounds like he's pretty beat up. It has to be Deeks, right?"

Kensi and Sam had converged on Callen when Nell had come online. The three agents stared at each other. "How the hell did he get all the way down there?" was the first thing Callen said.

"I don't know G, but we need to go get to him now before LAPD does something stupid and shoots him! Nell, you and Eric try to get eyes on him! Let LAPD know he's one of theirs and ours!" responded Sam. Nell answered in the affirmative, as Eric combed through traffic cams and open circuit security cameras, desperately trying to find Deeks's location on Culver, she put in a call to the LAPD switchboard. Neither tech paying attention to Hetty and Granger standing behind them, anxiously watching the footage with Eric for a sign of the shaggy man they had come to care about.

The three agents raced for the back exit and climbed into their cars to find the quickest way to Culver Blvd. Inside the warehouse, the man looked at his watch. Just over 45 minutes! He would have to start paying attention to those spy movies he had so despised before this. He put the battery back in his phone and turned it on to find he had a message.

 _Phase 2 complete. Cameras show all vacated. Awaiting instructions._

 _Meet at front entrance as planned._

Turning off his phone again and removing the battery, he held the cloth with the myoflurane over the cop's mouth again to make sure he didn't wake up while being carried out of the building. Picking him up in another fireman's carry, the man quietly unlatched the crate door and peered out, not wanting to take a chance that they had left someone behind that the cameras hadn't caught. The coast was clear and he stepped out, carefully pushing the crate door closed. He couldn't latch it from outside but they had made sure the hinges would hold the door closed and not swing open. When his team realized that the sightings of the cop on Culver were phony, they would be back here in a heartbeat and he wanted to have the best head start on them that he could.

He headed to the front where a black van had just pulled up. Opening the back door, he threw the cop in and climbed over him to the passenger seat. He grinned at his partner who put the van in gear and drove away.

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A/N - the original version of this chapter had the bad guys use chloroform on Deeks, but a review long after the story was completed, let me know that it would take five minutes or more for it to work, more than enough time for him to put a fight. I never thought to research it as I've seen it used like that in tv shows and movies (this review also mentioned that). So, I took to google to find an alternative and couldn't find anything that would work, so I made up myoflurane.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Sam and Callen followed close on Kensi's heels as she broke just about every known traffic law to get to Culver Boulevard and Deeks. She skidded to a stop just behind three LAPD black and whites, jumping out of the SRX before it had come to a full stop. Sam pulled the Challenger up behind her and he and Callen sprinted to catch up with the junior agent. All three pulled out their badges and held them up as they barreled down on the lone officer standing a short distance beyond the cars.

"Agent Blye, NCIS, these are Agents Callen and Hanna. Have they found him yet?" Kensi asked breathlessly.

The officer looked at her badge and then at the two men flanking her, taking in the NCIS Kevlar vests similar to the one the armed man was described as wearing. "Officer Stan Wolinsky, ma'am." He reached out and shook her hand, then the other agents. "I thought the description matched Marty so I volunteered to come down here. A few months ago, I, um, I was the officer who hit Marty over the head when I didn't recognize the code words for an undercover cop. He forgave me pretty quickly and we've become friends. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to locate him. No one we've talked to so far has seen anyone matching his description. "

"How is that possible?" asked Sam. "There were four separate calls. A heavily armed and beaten man obviously makes an impression on people!"

"I'm well aware of that Agent Hanna. I can only tell you what we've been able to determine at this point. I want to find him as much as you do."

Sam and Callen exchanged looks. There should have been scores of witnesses. Callen tapped his earwig "Eric, we're at the scene. Do you have eyes on him yet?"

"Nothing yet Callen. I take it LAPD hasn't had any luck either?"

"Nothing, it's like he was never here." Callen stopped short and thought about what he had just said. "Eric, go back to the time when the calls started coming in and see if you can find him then."

"On it." The agents waited impatiently as Eric went through all the footage he could find of the area. "Guys, there's no sign of him anywhere at that time either!"

Catching onto what his partner was getting at, Sam said "Damn it! Eric, can you trace the calls that came into LAPD reporting he was down here?"

"Yeah, it'll take me a bit though. I have to get into the LAPD database, find and then trace the calls. What are you guys thinking Sam?" Eric looked at Nell, not liking the look of fear on her face.

Sam looked at Kensi, not sure how she was going to take this. "We're thinking he was never here to start with. We're thinking we were lured away from that damn warehouse. We'll head back there now to do a more thorough search." Kensi paled and immediately turned to head back to her car, intent on getting back to the warehouse as quickly as possible. Callen reached out and snagged her arm, stopping her single minded crusade to find her partner.

"Kensi, wait! We need to go back there together. We can't have you disappear as well."

Hetty's voice came over the comms. "Mr. Callen, will you need additional hands to search for our Mr. Deeks?"

"Absolutely Hetty. The place is huge and full of places to hide. We'll meet whoever you can gather together there as soon as possible. Bring crowbars, there are tons of crates in there we may need to open. Eric, let us know what you find!"

"Will do."

Callen looked at Kensi and his partner. "Let's go!"

Stan Wolinsky yelled at them as they left "Let us know what you find!" worried about his friend.

They raced to their cars and headed back towards the warehouse, fearing that it may already be too late. They had been gone almost half an hour now and it would take them more time to backtrack. The chances that Deeks was still there? They were getting smaller by the minute.

~,~,~,~

Hetty looked at Granger and both headed out of Ops without a word, both wanting to be involved in the coming search for their Liaison Officer. As she exited the room, she turned back and said "Find him Mr. Beale, Miss. Jones. Do whatever you have to!" The two analysts nodded and went back to their keyboards, Eric hacking into the LAPD database to get the information on the recorded calls.

As they made their way down the stairs, Hetty was surprised to see a group of people waiting for them at the bottom. "Mr. Franklin, what is this all about?" she asked, addressing the man standing to the front.

"We heard that Marty's gone missing and that you might need some assistance searching the warehouse he disappeared in. We're here to offer our help." The NCIS agent replied.

Hetty was always amazed at how quickly bad news traveled. She looked at the people watching her anxiously, four agents and Sheila Karle from wardrobe. It would appear their Mr. Deeks was well liked outside his core team, but she wasn't all that surprised. She wondered if his team would be.

Looking at the wardrobe mistress she said "Mrs. Karle, you aren't a field agent and this could be dangerous. I'm not sure it would be appropriate for you to join us."

"I'm going Miss. Lange. Marty's a good guy, someone who always takes the time to say thank you and to stop and chat with me. I want to help. Plus, he's helped my husband and me with some legal issues we've had over the last few years. I owe him! I may not be a field agent, but I am an NCIS employee, just like everyone else here."

Hetty looked at the others gathered there and saw them all nodding in agreement with the woman. She decided that it wasn't worth arguing. "Very well, I'll have Mr. Beale send the address to your phones, please meet us there. Mrs. Karle, you will go with Agent Franklin. Mr. Franklin, you are to watch out for her, do you understand me?"

Jim Franklin nodded in acknowledgement and the group left the Mission.

~,~,~,~

Sam, Callen and Kensi roared back to the warehouse, still waiting on word from Ops. They had barely arrived when Hetty and Granger pulled up, followed shortly by two more cars with personnel from the Mission. The group that had started out as five had grown to seven as the news continued to spread throughout OSP. They all gathered by the back door to the warehouse and Callen walked them through the events of the day. After Franklin handed out the crowbars, they split up into four groups; each assigned one quadrant of the warehouse. Kensi, Sam, Callen and Hetty each took charge of a group. They had just started to split up when Eric's voice sounded over the comms.

"Guys! I got the information on the calls into LAPD about Deeks. They were all from burn phones! None of the calls were long enough to trace but I was able to determine what cell tower they used." He paused. "All four used the tower closest to the warehouse."

Sam, Callen and Kensi stared at each other. This was exactly what they had feared. They had been tricked into leaving Deeks behind, they should have left at least one of them onsite, for just this reason. They no longer had any hope that they would find him here but would search the warehouse anyway, maybe they would be able to find something that would lead them to whoever had their friend. Callen shared the information with the group who deflated a little at the information he imparted.

"We can't assume he's not in there, ladies and gentlemen. Let's do our best and, even if he is no longer here, look for anything that could help us find out who took him. Earwigs in, keep in touch, no one is to go anywhere alone. " said Hetty. Two groups went around to the front of the building and the other two entered through the back. Each group then split up again, one moving right, one moving left.

There was silence for the next half hour as each group carefully combed their section, looking for anything that would indicate what had happened to the shaggy detective. Finally Jim Franklin's voice came over comms. "We found something! You guys are _not_ going to believe this."

"Where are you Jim?" said Callen.

"North side of the warehouse. From what you told me, this was the section Deeks was clearing when he vanished. Now I know why."

"Mr. Hanna, Mr. Callen, Miss. Blye, meet me at Mr. Franklin's location. The rest of you keep looking for anything else that can help us find him." Hetty said over comms. Sam, Callen and Kensi left their groups and quickly headed to the north side. They arrived to find Hetty and Granger already there. They were all standing in front of a crate whose front was swung open like a door, looking in.

"What the hell?" blurted out Sam as he moved up to peer in as well. Inside he could see a lockbox and nothing else. "Has anyone gone in yet?"

"No Mr. Hanna. We were waiting for Mr. Deeks's team. I thought you would like to be the ones to investigate."

Kensi swallowed hard and said "Thank you Hetty." Sam and Callen nodded at her, knowing she wouldn't be able to contain herself if someone else went in, she needed to do this. She pulled on latex gloves and moved into the crate, which was large enough for at least six of them to stand in comfortably. She pulled out a flashlight and methodically swept the area for any evidence, the lock box looming large in her peripheral vision _. It's not large enough for a man's body, it's not, it's not_ she thought, hating the image of her lover crammed into it that came to mind.

"Found a footprint!" She pulled out her cell and snapped a picture. "Looks like a size 11 or 12. It's not Deeks's. Not the right pattern for his boots." Sam raised an eyebrow that she would know that but Kensi didn't see it.

"There's a cloth thrown in the corner." She picked it up and sniffed it, immediately feeling dizzy. "Smells like myoflurane. It's not widely known or used, the only reason I know about it is because we talked about in a class I took a couple months ago. It acts like chloroform but is only takes seconds to knock you out instead of five minutes." She pulled a baggie out of her vest and dropped the cloth into it, sealing the smell and any possible DNA evidence inside.

Once she had been over every inch of the crate, she moved to the lockbox, knowing she wouldn't be damaging any other clues. She pulled out her lock pick set, hesitated for a second and then went to work on the padlock, making short work of opening it. She raised the top and couldn't stop the gasp that the contents evoked. She recognized the knife she had given him last Christmas, similar to the one she always wore. She reached in and pulled out the leather badge holder, knowing what it would contain. She slowly opened it and saw his face smiling up at her. Her breath caught in her throat, wondering if she would ever see that smile in person again.

Sam entered the crate when he realized she wasn't moving. Carefully, he placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. When she leaned into his hand a little, he said "We'll find him Kensi. He's tough and he's strong. He'll wait for us and we _will_ find him!" She nodded mutely, still staring at his badge and running her thumb over the raised letters.

Sam looked back at his partner and realized Callen was pissed. Somebody was messing with his family and he was _not_ going to let them get away with it. The team leader tapped his earwig and asked "Eric, you were monitoring the warehouse when we went in. Did you continue after we left?"

"No. I'm sorry! We were focused on Culver Blvd. Let me go back through the traffic cam footage to see if we catch anything."

"Do it. And see if you can find anything odd going on around this warehouse in the last two weeks. This started when the phony tips started coming in. They didn't just plan this today. Deeks was right, we were being tested and they knew exactly where the best spot to grab him would be."

"On it."

"Kens?" Sam said gently, breaking the woman out of her trance.

She looked up and searched his eyes, taking comfort from the quiet confidence there. Pulling herself together, she stood and moved out of the crate to stand in front of Callen. He pulled her into a side hug and looked at Hetty saying "Obviously this is where they kept him. They used the myoflurane to knock him out and sat in here listening to every word we said. We were out here wondering where he was while he was just feet away the whole time. I want these guys Hetty."

It was Granger who answered "You're not alone Agent Callen, not by a longshot. I have no problem if these bastards don't see a day in prison and I don't mean that they get away with this."

Kensi opened her mouth to add her agreement when Eric's voice interrupted her. "I found him, sort of. A little over ten minutes after you left the warehouse for Culver, a black van pulled up out front. A man came out carrying someone over his shoulder. He threw the man into the back and I could see his face. It was definitely Deeks and he was out cold!"

"Plates Eric? Can you see the man or the driver's face?" asked Sam.

"Sorry, no plates on the van. No good angle for facial rec either. The guy carrying Deeks never turns his face to the camera and the driver is wearing a ball cap pulled down over most of his face. They must have known where the cameras were. I've got nothing. Sorry guys!"

"Can you track him?"

"I'm trying. They went north from there but then I lost the van. I've already got kaleidoscope on it."

"Eric, check for other cell phone usage in the area. These guys must have been in communication somehow." Sam continued. Callen nodded in approval.

Granger looked at the agents in front of him. "Who the hell would want Deeks so badly that they would go to all this trouble?"

Kensi narrowed her eyes at him. "Timmons!" she hissed with absolute conviction.


	43. Chapter 43

A/N- Thanks to honus47 for reviewing and great suggestions!

Warning - whumpage ahead.

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Chapter 43

Deeks woke slowly, disoriented and nauseous. What the hell had happened? Where was he? He thought back to the last thing he remembered and worked his way forward. He remembered entering the warehouse after arguing with Callen that something was off, splitting up from Kensi, someone behind him, the smell of chloroform. Okay, chloroform would explain the nausea. He'd been knocked out with it once before and he didn't react well that time either. Kensi! His eyes snapped open and he frantically tried to look around the room he found himself in, trying to find out if they had also taken her or any of the rest of the team. The movement started him swinging and he realized he was hanging by his wrists, only his toes able to reach the floor. The rocking motion made him feel worse and he fought down the urge to vomit. He planted his toes as best he could to stop the swinging.

Once he was stopped, he carefully tilted his head back to look up at his hands above his head. His wrists were tied with rope that was slipped over a hook suspended from the ceiling. He slowly twisted his left hand so that he could take hold of the rope with it, instead of just hanging from it. Once he had it firmly in his grasp, he did the same with the right hand. He pulled himself up a little to relieve the tension on his shoulders, worried about them dislocating if he hung here too long, his toes leaving the floor so that he started to swing a little again. He had good upper body strength, the reason why he beat Callen on the rock climbing wall 9 times out of 10. He wished he was there now, he'd let his team leader win for the rest of eternity. Lowering himself back down so that his toes touched once again, he slowly moved himself by tiptoe in a circle, taking in the layout of the room and the fact that he was alone. He sighed in relief, for the moment anyway it appeared he was the only one taken. With that worry gone, he took stock of his situation.

The hook he was on was not the only one hanging from the ceiling, it was dotted with them in various stages of rust and disrepair, all connected to a grid work of rusting metal tracks. They reminded him a little of the hook Talita had hung Thapa from the first time he had met the small Ghurka. He suppressed the immediate feeling of grief over the loss of his friend. Even after all this time, it still hurt to know he wasn't out there in the world somewhere, doing whatever it was that Ghurkas did. Turning back to the more urgent matter at hand, he continued to scope out the room. There were sluices around the edges of the room, drains spotting the floor and large water spigots without hoses. Abandoned meat packing plant, maybe? Great.

Looking down he saw he'd been stripped down to his boxers. The realization made him feel unexpectedly exposed and violated. He was suspended over a raised wooden platform that looked pretty new. He wondered if the elusive 'they' had built it especially for this situation. He knew he didn't want to hang around to find out. Jeez, was he really making bad puns in his own head? He started to lift himself up again, hoping that he might be able grab hold of the hook and slip the ropes off it, when he heard footsteps approaching. He lowered himself back down and hung his head, pretending to still be out.

"Detective Deeks, I know you're awake. Don't play opossum with me." a deep voice said. "Detective! Look at me!" When Deeks didn't comply, the man stepped up onto the platform and punched him hard in the stomach. He couldn't help the groan that slipped out and he looked up at his captor, a tall dark haired man he didn't recognize.

"I don't know you! Why are you doing this?" he asked.

The man stepped closer "You're right, we don't know each other but my boss knows of you and he's the one who ordered this. I'm just along for the ride." He reached out, grabbed Deeks hair and pulled him closer. "Still, I'm going to enjoy this." Whispering into his ear, the man said softly "We do have a connection, however, Detective. A pretty little federal prosecutor the boss had me take out several years back. I understand she was a friend of yours. I would have liked to get her in the same position you're in but, the boss wanted her dead, so I followed my orders. Pity." The man let go and started to turn away, taking his eyes off him, confident that the detective could do nothing.

Deeks felt a roaring in his ears and literally saw red. Lifting his feet off the ground, he pulled his knees into his chest and thrust them out and up, using his grip on the ropes as leverage, catching the man in the face as he started to turn back with both his heels and pushing him off the platform. He felt something crunch through his feet and the man hit the ground with a satisfying thump, his head bouncing off the concrete. Stunned, he lay there for a moment before raising a hand to his face. "You bastard! You broke my nose!"

Getting up off the floor he advanced on the wildly swinging man. "You'll regret that Detective." He moved up onto the platform and swung a right hook at Deeks's face, one he couldn't avoid or protect himself from. His head snapped to his right and he felt his lip split. The man started using him as a heavy bag, punching him in the stomach and kidneys over and over for what felt like hours, cracking, if not breaking, at least three ribs. Deeks was close to blacking out when another man entered the room. Seeing what was going on, he rushed over and grabbed the man beating him.

"Carl! What the hell? Cut it out! The boss wants him alive, not beaten to death. We need him, at least for now."

Deeks now had a name for the dark haired man. Opening the one eye that hadn't swollen shut; he poked the bear and said "Yeah Carl. Wouldn't want to upset the boss!" The man's face scrunched up and he punched Deeks again in the stomach. The other man started to drag him away.

"What the hell are you doing Carl?"

"Look at me Sean! The bastard broke my nose and probably gave me a concussion!" Carl wiped the blood away from under his nose and held it out to his partner. Sean looked at Carl's obviously broken nose and then up at the beaten man hanging from a hook, barely able to touch the ground.

"How?"

"Never mind how, he did and he has to pay!"

"He'll pay later. Right now the boss needs him alive or this will never work. NCIS is going to ask for proof of life and we can't give them that if he's dead. Once we're done, you can do anything you want with him. In the meantime, why don't you head out to one of the boss's pet doctors and get your nose set, cool down."

Carl finally nodded and then moved back up onto the platform, watched warily by both Sean and Deeks. He stepped up close to Deeks and said "This isn't over detective. I can find plenty of ways to make you wish you were dead while keeping you alive. Think about that while I'm gone!"

Deeks looked the man in the eyes and opened his mouth. Carl waited to hear what the man would say next. Instead of saying anything, Deeks decided to stop forcing back the nausea and promptly vomited blood and the contents of his stomach all over Carl's front. The man's eyes widened in shock and Deeks let out a pained laugh. "You, you…" sputtered Carl, looking down at the mess all over his suit and shoes.

He lifted his right arm to take another swing at Deeks when Sean grabbed it from behind and pulled him away. "Enough Carl! Go get cleaned up and see that doctor! I'll take care of the mess in here. You'll get your chance later."

Carl took one last hard look at Deeks, hatred shining from his eyes and mouthed at him "This isn't over." He turned and stomped out of the room, leaving Deeks alone with Sean.

"Your partner's a loose cannon, Sean. He's not going to listen to you for long."

Sean looked at the detective speculatively, the man had somehow managed to break Carl's nose while hanging from a hook. He would have paid good money to see that, Carl was not exactly his favorite person. He only worked with him when the boss ordered it. He moved closer to Deeks, careful to avoid the mess on the platform. "I know exactly what kind of man my partner is, Detective Deeks. You let me worry about handling him. You have more important things to worry about right now."

"What's this all about? I know you guys work for Steve Parks. I was never involved in his arrest or prosecution. What's his problem with me?"

"It's not his problem, it's a…friends…problem."

Deeks looked at him in confusion and suddenly it clicked. "Timmons."

Sean nodded. "Give the man a cigar."

"Why the hell would Parks be working with Timmons? The man isn't a judge anymore; he can't help Parks get out of jail. And what does that have to do with me anyway?"

Sean smiled at him. "There were two plans, detective. Plan A was to get you to agree to help Paul Timmons. We were then going to plant a significant amount of money in a bank account in your name, money that would look like it came from Mitchell Timmons. The plan was that Timmons would then blackmail you into getting rid of the evidence against him before his trial. If you didn't cooperate, you'd be threatened with exposure as a crooked cop who took a bribe from a known criminal. You should have taken that road; it would have been less painful.

Deeks looked at Sean in amazement. Did they really think that would have worked? "And Plan B?"

"Ah, plan B. Plan B is the situation you find yourself in now. We offer you up in exchange for releasing Judge Timmons from jail and flying him to a non extradition country."

Deeks burst out laughing, his probable broken ribs and bruised face complaining loudly the whole time but unable to help himself. " _Mr_. Timmons will never get out of jail unless he's found innocent at his trial, which will never happen. Why would you ever think that anyone would release him in exchange for me? Neither LAPD nor NCIS would ever negotiate something like that! The only thing you'll get out of this is jail time when they find and arrest you, and I promise you, they will!"

"Do you mean so little to NCIS that they would just let you die?" The smile had yet to leave Sean's face.

"What I do or don't mean to NCIS is not germane to this situation. They're not going to let a known criminal walk, just to get me back. They know full well that I probably wouldn't make it out alive anyway. Why would Parks go through all this effort to help someone who's of no use to him anymore?"

"Let's just say that the boss and _Judge_ Timmons share a _special_ relationship."

Deeks eyes widened at Sean's implication. "They're what, like, involved?"

Sean laughed. "Such a polite way of saying they're lovers, detective. Are you homophobic? Does the idea of a relationship between two men bother you?" Deeks shook his head no.

Sean moved closer and ran a finger down Deeks's face. "Pretty, even as bruised as you are." he said softly. He continued to move his finger down onto Deeks's chest, pausing to brush it over his abs, left to right, and then down to his waist, still talking. "We'll see how things work out detective. However it does, it's of no concern to me. I just do what I'm told." He ran his finger around the inside of the waistband of Deeks's boxers, causing his skin to crawl. Deeks forced himself to show no reaction but he was starting to think he would have preferred that Carl had stayed.

Sean stood back and laughed. "You hide it well detective but I can tell you were, shall we say, concerned about my intentions? Don't worry, you're not my type." His face hardened. "You pull any of the crap on me that you pulled on Carl, and you'll wish you didn't live long enough to regret it. You'll find that Carl is the easier of the two of us to deal with." Deeks grinned and took in as deep a breath as he could and spit blood and saliva directly into the man's face. Sean's face blanked and then he threw an upper cut to Deeks's jaw that knocked him out cold. The man stared at the unconscious detective hanging in front of him and found himself hoping that the man was right, that no one would negotiate Timmons's release in exchange for him. He'd like to see how long the detective could keep up his smart ass comments and actions. It might be…interesting.


	44. Chapter 44

A/N - haven't said this in awhile so, still don't own anything except the OC's...sighs heavily and wipes away a tear.

Thanks as always to honus47 for reviewing!

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Chapter 44

Teams of frustrated and disappointed NCIS personnel converged at the front of the warehouse, each reporting to Granger the same thing, that they'd found nothing more that would help find their missing detective and friend. The NCIS forensics team was still working on the crate, so there was still hope that something would turn up there. Sam and Callen stood by Granger's side, tension radiating off them. It had been over four hours since Deeks had gone missing and they were no closer to finding out who took him or where he was. The longer it took, the lesser the chances became of finding him unscathed. While Kensi was adamant Timmons was behind this, they weren't all that sure. The man had little to no money, most of what he had was being spent on lawyers, and he had no power left at all.

Kensi's team was the last to arrive, also reporting they'd found nothing. Kensi made a beeline for her teammates who moved apart without words, leaving a space between them that she wedged herself into, taking comfort from their presence. Sam put his arm around her shoulders and she turned into him, hiding her face in his chest. He rubbed her back and said "We'll find him Kens. I promise you we will."

"Don't make promises you can't keep Sam." She mumbled into his chest. She needed to stay strong and not show any weakness now, even though she just wanted to crumble to the floor and cry. She needed to be strong and on top of her game for him. She took a deep breath and stepped back, giving him a weak smile that didn't reach her eyes. He smiled back and nodded at her. She looked over at Granger and frowned. The man seemed miles away. Sam and Callen followed the direction of her eyes and noted the same thing.

"What's on your mind Granger?" asked Callen.

"Are we 100% sure that Deeks was the target? That any of the rest of you wouldn't have worked just as well? If it was Deeks, then they had to have known exactly where he would be. It's not like they could watch and then maneuver that crate onto his path. It had to have been set up long before today."

Deeks's three teammates exchanged a guilty glance. Granger picked up on it immediately. "Would one of you care to share what you're thinking?"

It was Kensi who answered. "Deeks felt something was off. He said that the other two hoaxes felt like someone was testing us. He said we'd all told him that following the same routine was bad tradecraft and that we should mix it up when we breached. He even suggested not going in at all. We all ignored him, even me, and I've seen firsthand how his gut feelings usually turn out to be correct." She paused, angry with herself, and looked at Sam and Callen. "If we'd listened to him, he'd be here with us now."

Callen frowned, knowing she was right. "There's nothing we can change now about what we did then, Kensi. When we get him back, and we _will_ get him back, I promise you, we'll all listen to his instincts more carefully." He looked her in the eyes, his sincerity showing in his. She nodded, she couldn't blame him, she hadn't sided with Deeks either. They were all at fault in this.

Granger cleared his throat. "If you're all done assuming the blame for what happened, can we get back to the matter at hand? If they, whoever they are, were testing you, watching how you worked as a team, then they had to have had eyes on you. I know this team; there's no way you missed someone watching you in person. There's only one other way."

"Cameras?" ventured Sam. At Grangers nod, he continued "Eric searched all the warehouses for camera feeds before we went in. That's SOP. He didn't find one at any of them, including this one."

"He didn't find any that he could access; it doesn't mean there weren't any there." Granger responded.

"Closed circuit?" Callen asked. When Granger nodded again, everyone looked up at the ceiling, covered in grillwork. Granger turned his flashlight on and aimed it up, its light too weak to illuminate very much. He looked around and made his way to a stack of crates.

"Boost me up gentlemen."

Callen and Sam went to his side and helped Granger climb to the top of the stack. Closer to the ceiling, the flashlight was better able to show if anything was there that shouldn't be. In the area he could see from his vantage point, he found nothing. He started to move from stack to stack, the rest of the teams following his path on the floor. Eventually something caught his eye. Moving to a stack directly under, he found what he had been looking for, a camera pointing at the east quadrant of the warehouse. Calling out his find to those on the floor, the teams split up once again and went to the other quadrants, one member of each climbing up onto crates closest to the same general area of their section as the one Granger stood on. Each team found a similar camera, for a total of four that provided coverage for the whole floor.

"Okay, now we know how they were watching us but, whoever it was, had to have been fairly close." Sam said over comms. He pointed his phone at the camera in his quadrant and snapped a picture of it, sending it to ops immediately. "Eric, I just sent you a picture of one of the cameras. Can you find out its range and whether we can track who bought it?"

"On it!" came the instant reply.

Sam ran his flashlight over the camera, looking for its wires. Finding one, he started to follow it along the ceiling until it went out a window high up in the wall. It looked like the wires from all four cameras converged there and went out a hole cut in the glass. Over comms he told everyone what he had found. Callen's team was closest to the back door of the warehouse and they went out to see where the wires went once they left the building. Using his flashlight, Callen was able to find where the wires originated and followed them to another empty warehouse across the access road, the wires disappearing into a similar hole cut in the window of that building. Drawing their weapons, they prepared to breach. Callen tried the door and found it open, the team moving in on his command, clearing each section on the first floor. He nodded towards the stairs to the second level. They moved up quietly, finding offices off the main corridor. Each office was cleared. This warehouse was empty as well, once again disappointing everyone even though they had known that there was little to no chance that anyone had stuck around, just waiting to be captured.

Callen moved further into the office where the wires led, finding nothing but the unattached ends. "I found where they were watching from, based on the disturbance in the dust and the wires. There's nothing here now. Send over the forensics team, maybe they can find something." He heard Granger's acknowledgement in his ear. "Eric, anything on the cameras yet?"

"Sorry Callen. They're very common and popular, sold at multiple stores around L.A. and on the web. There's nothing useful that could lead us to Deeks unless one of them left a fingerprint. I'm also going through traffic cam footage of that warehouse as well, to see if we can catch them there."

"Keep us updated, Eric."

"Always."

"Callen!" Kensi's voice sounded excited over the comms. "Forensics found something in the crate!"

He and the rest of his team hurried downstairs and back over to the other warehouse, heading towards the crate with everyone else. Finding Kensi already there talking to a member of the forensics team, he moved up beside her to listen to what she was being told. "Peter, tell everyone what you found." she requested.

Peter Chin, NCIS forensics expert, was not used to being the focus of so many eyes. He took a deep breath and said "At first, we found nothing. The entire inside had been wiped clean and it was fairly obvious whoever was in this crate with Marty, was wearing gloves." Kensi and Callen exchanged glances, both registering the man's use of Deeks's first name. "We were just about to give up when I had a thought. They had to put this together and then bring it here. Once it was here, _then_ they would wipe it down. There would be no way to clean the underside of the hinges that were screwed to the wood. We took the door off and dusted for prints on each one. On the top one we hit pay dirt. A usable partial print!" He pointed at the hinges lined up on the floor, each covered in fingerprinting residue. There was an obvious print on one of them.

"Did you send it to ops yet?" asked Kensi.

"No, I was just getting ready to when you all showed up. I'll send it now." Peter took several pictures of the fingerprint and sent them to Eric.

Callen tapped his earwig and said "Eric, fingerprint coming your way from Peter Chin. Run it through AFIS and any other database you can find. I want to know who this belongs to! It might be our best chance yet to find out who has Deeks."

"On it! I was just about to contact you anyway! Nell found a camera that gives us a partial view of the truck that delivered the crate to the warehouse three days ago. It was night and the footage is dark and very grainy, I'm trying to clean it up now. It looks like there's a logo on the side of the truck. I'm hoping to have something more concrete very soon!"

"Good work Mr. Beale, Miss. Jones. Keep on it." Hetty said; pleased that they finally had several clues that could lead to rescuing her favorite cop. "I think we've done everything we can here. Let's leave the forensics team to their work and head back to the Mission. I know better than to order everyone home, but it's late. Anyone who needs to go home, please do so, no one will think any less of you. I want to thank all of you for your assistance, without it we would not have been able to cover so much ground in so little time. " she said, acknowledging the hard work of everyone who had volunteered to help.

The teams broke up and headed out to the cars, on their way out congratulating Peter Chin on his clever idea that had led to their best clue yet. Eventually, only Sam, Callen, Kensi, Hetty and Granger remained, none of them really wanting to walk away from the last place Deeks had been seen. They were finally about to head back when Nell's voice sounded over their comms. "Guys? When you head back, can you go to the boatshed? We have company."

"Company, Miss. Jones? What do you mean we have company?" responded Hetty, exchanging a puzzled look with the members of her elite team.

"By company, I mean representatives of the CIA, DEA and Navy."

"Ah, I see word has escaped NCIS and LAPD. I assume you mean Mrs. Hanna, Miss. Del Campo and Admiral Shelton?"

"That would be them!"

"We're on our way."

Granger and Hetty left first, Kensi following in the SRX. Sam went to get into the Challenger when he realized his partner was not moving to the passenger side. Looking back he found Callen staring at the warehouse and heard him say softly "Damn it Deeks! Where are you?"


	45. Chapter 45

A/N – Thanks to ohBuddy66, raderle, yellowcallalily and honus47 for the suggestions/prompts that led to this!

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Chapter 45

Hetty, Granger and Kensi waited for Sam and Callen to catch up before entering the boatshed. When the team was together, they entered as a unit to find Michelle, Talia and John Shelton talking quietly. Talia watched Kensi apprehensively. She had heard that Deeks and Kensi were officially a couple now and she wasn't sure what her reception would be. The last time they'd worked together, she'd made it well known that she was attracted to Deeks and would move in on him if Kensi didn't act on their own attraction quickly. She and Kensi had ended up putting on a show of becoming friends and whispering about Deeks right in front of him, both of them wanting to rile him up for different reasons, but the supposed friendship was all pretend.

She would never make a real move on him now but, in different circumstances, she wouldn't be above teasing the two of them a little, just to make them squirm. The scruffy detective wasn't usually her type, but there was something about him that intensely attracted the DEA agent. She had found herself wishing on several occasions that she had meet Deeks before he had joined up with NCIS. She thought that he might have returned her interest if he hadn't already been head over heels in love with his partner. She watched as Sam moved to the woman who had been introduced as CIA agent Michelle Hanna. When he pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly, her eyebrows rose as far as they could without disappearing into her hairline. When she remembered Sam's last name, the pieces clicked into place. This team certainly had some interesting personal lives.

"Kensi. It's good to see you. I wish it were for different reasons." she said to the brunette agent who was staring at her. She held out her hand to let Kensi know she was here to help, nothing more. Kensi walked towards her and Talia held her breath, not sure if she would get another head butt to the face or her hand shaken. When Kensi took her hand and shook it, she let out that breath. They would be able to work together after all.

"Thanks for coming Talia. I know it will mean a lot to Deeks." Kensi said. Talia looked at her carefully, trying to determine how the woman was holding up. Kensi appeared calm but she could feel the anger and pain coming off her in waves.

"Any time. For _either_ of you." Talia replied as she squeezed her hand. Kensi nodded at the woman who had been the bane of her existence when they had had to team up during the case where terrorists had turned a submarine into a bomb. A case that had almost cost Sam and Callen their lives. Her obvious interest in Deeks had sparked a jealousy that Kensi had never felt before and hoped never to feel again.

"I will assume you have all introduced yourselves and you all know us. I'm not sure exactly how word leaked that our Mr. Deeks was abducted, but your help will be greatly appreciated!" said Hetty.

Michelle was the first to speak. "I heard it from Sam and when I went to my boss, he was immediately on board with offering whatever help the CIA can give you. We've already had our agents in L.A. put out feelers to their contacts, looking for any information on who might have taken him or where he is." Hetty nodded her approval.

Talia added "I heard through one of my LAPD contacts that Deeks had gone missing. My boss was impressed with him both times I worked with NCIS. After the fish market bombing, he asked me if Deeks would be interested in coming over to the DEA. I told him I'd already mentioned it but he didn't take me up on the offer." She realized her mistake when every person in the room turned and stared daggers at her. Trying to back track she held up her hands and continued "I didn't know then how important NCIS was to him. He didn't appear to have a partner and we worked well together. I would never have made that offer if I had known." The glares subsided. "Anyway, he approved our full support with anything we can do to help find Deeks." Hetty voiced her thanks and turned to Admiral Shelton.

"You know why I'm here Hetty. Michelle let Laura know what happened and it was all I could do to talk both her and Meaghan out of coming down here with me." John Shelton sighed. "We all know how this could turn out and I didn't want them to see it up close and personal. You have the full support of the Naval Intelligence community. Marty is family and we protect our own. My people are also working every angle they can. I haven't heard anything yet, but we've only been on it a few hours."

The rest of the team added their thanks to Hetty's and they got down to business. They filled the new members of their group in on what had happened and how, the fingerprint found in the crate. Nell's finding the truck that dropped the crate off at the warehouse. When they described the tricked out crate, the others had to admit was it was an interesting way to abduct someone. Kensi added her conviction that this was all related to Timmons, that he was somehow behind it. When asked why, she related the story of their visit to Victorville and the offer Timmons had made Deeks, as well as his reaction when Deeks had refused it and goaded him into spewing threats as he was taken away. Sam and Callen carefully added their reservations about this, treading gently with Kensi, citing Timmons's current lack of money and influence. Once it had all been gone over they realized they still had little to go on.

They had been talking for about an hour when the plasma lit up and Eric and Nell appeared, part of ops in the background. "Guys! We got a hit on the fingerprint! It belongs to a Carl Robinson."

A picture of the man appeared in the lower right corner of the plasma. "His jacket says he's known to work for Steve Parks. He's pretty much just an enforcer. Mean temper and generally works alone. When he does work with a partner, it's usually this man, Sean McGonagle."

Another picture appeared next to the one of Robinson. "His jacket is more interesting to us, says that he's suspected in multiple abductions, tortures and murders, but they've never been able to get anything to stick."

The NCIS team tensed when Eric mentioned torture, not knowing what this might mean for Deeks, not sure if he could withstand another torture session. Eric continued on, oblivious to the impact his words had had. "From what we can determine, Parks is suspected of still running his operation from prison but prison officials haven't been able to figure out how."

Callen spoke up "So is Parks working with Timmons?" He shared a look with Sam. "We know he's the one suspected of ordering the hit on Deeks's prosecutor friend and that Deeks had another one of his gut feelings that it wasn't good that both Parks and Timmons are incarcerated at Victorville together. But _why_ would Parks be helping Timmons? The guy isn't a judge any more, he can't help Parks get out of jail or get a reduced sentence. It doesn't make sense. Guys like Parks don't do favors like abducting a cop, just out of friendship, and he doesn't owe Timmons anything, he paid good money for what he already got. If not Timmons, then what's this all about? Deeks said he had no connection with Parks original trial or the subsequent one that landed him in jail."

Frustrated with all the questions that had no answers, he turned to the plasma screen. "Eric, you and Nell see if you can find any interaction between the two, both before and after Timmons was sent to jail to await trial."

"On it." Eric said. Already tapping on his computer.

Talia asked "Who's Parks?" Kensi filled her in on the failed attempt to put Parks away because he'd bribed Timmons into fixing the trial. How Parks was then suspected of putting out a hit on the prosecutor and FBI agents who were part of the case. Deeks's connection to the prosecutor that had led to them investigating the judge and finding the evidence needed to get him impeached and arrested. Talia had heard about the disgraced judge but had had no idea that this team, especially Deeks, had been the ones involved.

"Jones, reach out to the FBI. If Parks is involved, they'll want in on this. After all, he's suspected of killing two of their own." said Granger.

"Already did Assistant Director." Nell said apprehensively. "They're already putting plans in motion on their side. They're going to be sending a representative over to the boatshed shortly. The name they gave me was Agent Cheryl Leary."

Granger wasn't sure if he was angry with the intelligence analyst for contacting the FBI without his consent or pleased with her initiative. Deciding there was nothing he could do about it now; he went with pleased and let her know it. Nell looked relieved.

"Any luck with the truck?" asked Callen.

"I'm still working on it, the footage is really poor quality and the darkness isn't helping. I'm trying a couple different enhancement programs now. Also, kaleidoscope hasn't gotten any hits yet on the van. We've still got facial rec working on locating Robinson and McGonagle." replied Eric.

"Thanks Eric. We know you guys are doing everything you can." The analysts nodded and disappeared off the screen.

Sam looked at Kensi and said "We've got LAPD, NCIS, the DEA, the CIA, Naval Intelligence and now the FBI on this Kens; if we can't find him we're not very good at our jobs." She smiled at him and nodded, hiding her worry behind a calm façade. The mere mention of torture had brought back bad memories, both from what happened to Deeks at the hand of Sidorov and her own experiences in Afghanistan. She just wanted Deeks back where he belonged, by her side.

The group was mulling over the new developments when a knock sounded at the boatshed door. Granger was closest and went to open it. Standing on the other side was a strange woman holding up her FBI badge. "Agent Cheryl Leary, FBI. I was told to ask for a Henrietta Lange?" Granger motioned her in and shut the door behind the woman then led the way into the room where the rest were waiting. He made the introductions and Hetty thanked her for her help.

"My pleasure ma'am. I volunteered when I heard that Parks was most likely involved. One of the agents we suspect he had killed was my first partner when I joined the FBI. He was a good man and didn't deserve what was done to him. I don't want to see the same thing happen to anyone else." she replied.

Hetty looked at her appraisingly, liking what she saw. "It's Hetty, please. Let's bring you up to speed." She proceeded to tell her all the events leading up to the recent discovery of two possible suspects. When she gave the FBI agent their names, she immediately pulled out her phone.

"I know those two. I've had Confidential Informants keeping tabs on most of Parks's men for years. We've never been able to get anything that would lead us to pin the murders of our men on him but I've never given up. Let me reach out to my people to see if they've had eyes on either of these guys in the last few days." She stepped away from the rest of the group and made several calls.

The rest of the group shared a hopeful look. Could this finally be the break they were looking for?


	46. Chapter 46

A/N – for my French reviewer…

"SOP" stands for Standard Operating Procedure and means that there are certain actions that should always be taken in specific situations, such as Eric always checking for cameras in the area of any building the NCIS team is about to breach.

"AFIS" is the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (also referred to as IAFIS) which holds all fingerprint sets collected in the country, and is managed by the FBI.

Gotta love Wikipedia (the online version, not the Kensi one!).

Don't forget! Leave a prompt or suggestion for a future story line or another direction in the current one, I'm always pleased to see if I can work them in!

Thanks to honus47 (and significant other) for once again reviewing and giving great suggestions!

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Chapter 46

Deeks came to the second time around even slower than the first. His entire body was a mass of pain. He moved and realized he must have been lowered a little closer to the ground as he could now stand on tiptoes somewhat easier, which he did, easing the pain in his shoulders. Looking up he found himself staring at Sean's back. The man was fiddling with something on a table that had been added since he was beaten into unconsciousness. His stomach roiled as he watched the man picking up and putting down different instruments. Flashbacks to the last time he was tied up and tortured went through his mind.

"Welcome back Detective." said Sean, not even turning around. The slight rustling Deeks had made was enough to alert him that the man had regained consciousness. He straightened one last knife into a position he was pleased with and then turned to face the dangling man, a riding crop in his hand. He was looking forward to this, he always did. He enjoyed the look of fear and the begging as much as, if not more than, the actual actions he would perform on his victim's body. He was not happy with the detective's spitting on him earlier. He would have to teach the man some manners. He deliberately moved to his right, allowing Deeks his first full view of the items on the table. He watched the man's eyes inventory each instrument and waited for the fear to appear. When a look of what almost seemed like relief passed over his face instead, Sean was stunned. Looking more closely, he saw that his expression was just blank now. He decided he had just imagined it and that the detective was simply trying to mask his fear.

Deeks had scanned the table carefully, looking for the one item that would send him back into a nightmare that was never really all that far from him. Not finding it, he actually did feel relief. He wondered idly what Nate would make of his reaction. Schooling his face into one of blank detachment, he watched Sean frown at him. He decided then and there not to give the man any satisfaction, no matter what this psychopath did to him. He wondered how his team was faring, if they'd found anything that would lead them to him. He was absolutely confident that they would leave no stone unturned in their efforts to find him. He only hoped that, if they didn't find him before it was over, they wouldn't blame themselves. He knew Callen would be the first to take on the guilt, something he had in common with his team leader. Kensi, of course, was never far from his mind. He was actually glad that he hadn't found the time to get that ring and ask her to marry him. That would have made things even worse for her if things went as badly as he feared they would.

Deep in thought, he didn't notice that Sean had approached him, peeved that the detective was not cowering in fear before him. Raising his arm, he whipped the riding crop across Deeks's chest, raising a welt and drawing blood. The man's body flinched but he made no sound, showed no fear. Anger began to rise within him; the detective was denying him the one thing he wanted. Moving around behind him, so he would never see what was coming, Sean again brought the crop down, this time across his back. Again, the detective made no sound even though he was unable to mask the natural reaction of his body. "You will eventually break Detective, they always do." He was stunned again when the man just laughed.

"I've been tortured by better than you, Sean. I didn't break then and I won't break now. You might as well just give it up." he said cheekily, lying through his teeth. The crop came down across his back once more, the pain adding to what he was already feeling. He clenched his teeth and refused to make any sound. The longer he stayed quiet, the more Sean lost his temper and the harder he struck at Deeks until his back and chest were bright red with blood. Deeks felt himself starting to grey out again when Carl entered the room.

"Sean! Stop playing with your food. We have a problem. I thought the boss said he was only a cop; that only NCIS would be looking for him and that LAPD would care less." Carl hurried up to the platform, ignoring Deeks and addressing his partner.

Sean sighed and moved to the table to put down the crop before turning to Carl. "What are you babbling about Carl? He is just a cop, you know that."

Carl had finally registered the state of the detective hanging from the hook and the bloody crop on the table. He felt a little sick to his stomach, not at the fact that the man was injured; after all, he deserved it after breaking his nose. It was more the fact that Sean seemed to be enjoying what he was doing. "What the hell have you been doing to him?" he asked, studying the detective dispassionately.

"You know Timmons asked the boss to make sure that Detective Deeks suffered as much as possible, while still keeping him alive. I've been following orders, what have you been doing? It took you long enough to get your nose fixed up." Carl shrugged.

Deeks listened with interest to see if Carl's information could tell him what was going on in the outside world. He had a feeling it would be about his team, if anyone could put the bad guys into a tail spin, it would be them. Carl responded "My contact at LAPD told me that just about every alphabet agency in the L.A. area is looking for him. DEA, FBI, CIA, NCIS, even Naval Intelligence. Apparently he has friends in all the agencies, friends that are now out scouring L.A. for him. LAPD isn't out of it either, my contact says they can't stand back and let the feds take credit when they find him. They don't want to look bad. How the hell did the boss miss this? What should we do? Do you think we need to move him?"

Deeks mulled over the list Carl had given, mostly with surprise. He knew the CIA would indicate Michelle and Naval Intelligence was probably John. He wondered if the DEA's involvement had anything to do with Talia. He pictured Talia and Kensi in the same room together and hoped they would both come out alive. As for the FBI, he had no clue. He really didn't know anyone at the FBI who would raise a finger to help him. He and the rest of his team had pissed off their fair share of feebies. He tuned back into the conversation.

"Stop worrying Carl, I'm sure the boss knows exactly what he's doing. As for us, we're just going to do what the boss told us to. No one knows who or where we are, so we're not moving him. That would be too risky. This will all be over later today and we'll be out of it."

"You're pretty cocky, aren't you?"

"Yes, Carl, I am cocky when I know what I'm talking about." Sean looked at his watch, seeing it was just about 8 AM. They'd had the detective for just a little less than ten hours, longer than he normally kept his victims, yet he felt very dissatisfied. "It's time to make that call. Once NCIS agrees to release Timmons and fly him out, we'll rid ourselves of Detective Deeks here and no one will be the wiser. They'll never find his body."

Deeks decided now would be a good time to stir the pot, seeing as Carl was still not convinced there was nothing to be concerned about. "I thought your boss was a little smarter than this, boys. I've told you before; there is no way in hell that Timmons gets out of jail in exchange for me. It's just not the way it works. I can also tell you that, no matter what happens to me, my team will never stop looking for you. My team leader is ex CIA and he's a bulldog, he'll never let this go, no matter how long it takes. He'll do anything he has to make sure you two don't get away, if it takes the rest of his life. You'll be looking over your shoulder from now until the day he kills you. The rest of my team includes an ex-Navy Seal and a sniper who can take your eye out at 500 yards. Don't even get me started on my boss. She's got more skills than anyone else I've ever seen or heard of. You guys don't stand a chance." He could tell that these two men actively disliked each other. "Which one of you is going to be the one who makes a deal and rats the other out when they take you down? My bet is on Sean."

Carl looked at Sean suspiciously, at the same time wondering if it was time to just walk away. He knew that Parks would track him down and that what he would do to him, if he found him, and he probably would, would make the detective's current state look like he had just spent a day at the spa. Sean watched him carefully, knowing exactly what was going through his unwanted partner's mind. The man was as transparent as glass. Carl sighed when he came to the undeniable conclusion that he was stuck, at least for now. If they were taken, he would be sure to take any offer that came his way, having no compunction about throwing Sean to the wolves.

Sean looked at his watch again. "Time to make that call." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the cellphone that the boss had given him for this purpose. It had a scrambler on it that would prevent NCIS, or anyone else, from tracing the call back to them. He called the NCIS hotline and gave them the information that he had the missing detective and that he wanted to speak to someone in charge. After a short wait, he was connected to a woman with a raspy voice.

"This is Henrietta Lange. I've been informed that you are the ones who have taken Detective Deeks. Exactly what do you expect from us?"

The tension in the boatshed was palpable as the group listened to the conversation. When the call had come in, Eric had immediately been contacted to put a trace on it. When he had indicated that Ops was ready, the call had been transferred. Hetty had requested silence and had put it on speaker.

"We do indeed have your detective, Ms. Lange was it? What we expect from you is as follows. You will release Judge Mitchell Timmons from jail. He will be taken to the closest airport and flown to a non-extradition country. Once we have proof that he has safely landed, we will release Detective Deeks unharmed. Failure to comply will result in the very unpleasant death of said detective."

Kensi looked at Sam and Callen with something akin to triumph. The man had just proven her right. Timmons was somehow behind this. Her triumph was short lived as she realized that NCIS would never comply with their demands which meant that Deeks was unlikely to get out of this alive.

I'm afraid I'll need proof of life, Mr.?" said Hetty.

Sean replied "My name is not important Ms. Lange. You want proof of life, here it is."

He held the phone out to Deeks who just looked at him, refusing to speak.

"I'm afraid your detective is somewhat stubborn, Ms. Lange. Let's see if we can persuade him to give you what you need." Still holding the phone, he picked up the riding crop again and approached the detective. "Last chance Detective." Deeks continued to stay silent. Sean whipped the riding crop across his chest once more, again eliciting nothing but silence from him, the sound electrifying the atmosphere in the boatshed. "You need to talk to your people Detective." He thought quickly. "If you don't, then we move on to another member of your team, maybe the brunette you seem to be so fond of? How do you think she would fare in your current situation?"

Unable to stop himself, Deeks said "You leave her alone! You've got me, you don't need her."

Sean smiled and spoke into the phone again "You have your proof of life. You have two hours to get Judge Timmons out of jail and into the air. If you don't, the detective suffers. Am I understood?"

"Yes, we understand. How will we get in touch with you to let you know when Timmons is in the air?"

"You don't. I'll reach out to you after two hours, which starts now. Time is wasting Ms. Lange; this is not the time to dawdle." Sean hung up the phone and smiled at Deeks. "Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Deeks glared at him and refused to respond. Sean smiled and said "We have two hours Detective. However shall we spend them?" He turned towards the table and began to peruse the instruments there; finally selecting a small sharp edged knife that he knew from experience inflicted the most pain without ending the victim's life. "Let's pick up where we left off, shall we?" as he slowly sliced Deeks chest. It took 17 slow, agonizing cuts before the detective passed out again.

Sean really loved this and thought he would really enjoy the next round. He walked over to his table and picked up a thick walled rubber hose about 3' long. He walked over to Deeks and slapped him awake, telling him "This hose won't break any bones, but it hurts like hell when it hits you. Let's see how you like it." He commenced hitting the detective with it, all over his body. Deeks vision was once again starting to go and he almost welcomed the blackness enveloping him. At least it would stop the pain. The last thought in his head, before he succumbed to unconsciousness, was of Kensi. Kens, he said in his head, it looks like I may have to break my promise. I don't think I can take too much more of this. The thought faded away as the darkness took him.

Sean saw his detective pass out again and walked around him, admiring all the bruises on his body. He took in all the damage he had caused and felt good about it; although the detective had yet to give him the fear he wanted to see or to beg for his life. Eye swollen shut, possible broken ribs, all manner and sizes of cuts all over his body, crop welts and vivid bruises. As he started to turn away, he noticed a spray of blood when the detective coughed. Ahh, he thought. Broken rib for sure and it may have punctured a lung. He will need to keep an eye on him now so he doesn't drown on blood. We can't have him dying before it's time, he thought.

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Back at the boatshed, Callen called up to Ops. "Tell me you got a location from that Eric!"

"I'm sorry Callen. The phone had a scrambler on it. There's no way we could trace it."

Callen slammed his fist on the table, startling everyone there. "We can't just leave him there Hetty. We need to do something, anything!"

"You know as well as I do, Mr. Callen, that neither NCIS, nor any other agency, will release a prisoner in exchange for one of their own. The only thing we can hope for is to stall them until we find Mr. Deeks ourselves. Our hands are tied." Hetty understood her senior agent's frustration. She was close to pulling in any favors she still had to get Timmons released. Hell, she'd even pay for the flight to whatever country they wanted out of her own pocket. Timmons was a greedy bastard but he wasn't a violent criminal, what would it harm anyone to let him go? She sighed, knowing full well it wasn't the harm Timmons might do, but the precedent it would set. The next time it might not be someone like Timmons. She opened her mouth to say just that when Agent Leary's phone rang.

Recognizing the caller id, the FBI agent picked it up immediately and, once again, moved away from the group. When she was done, she hurried back with a smile on her face. "One of our CI's may have come through for us. Robinson and McGonagle were seen entering an abandoned meat packing plant in North L.A. several times over the past few days. He says he's not seen any sign of your man, but these guys aren't shadowing them 24/7, especially at night. The company is Northern L.A. Meat Packing on Figueroa."

Eric popped up on the plasma and said "That name could work what we've been able to pull so far from the footage of the truck that dropped off the crate at the warehouse. The company went out of business six months ago, there's no reason why any truck should still be active and making any deliveries. Nell and I are thinking they wrapped a truck in the logo so it wouldn't seem suspicious. I'm sending the address to your smart phones!" No one asked how Eric and Nell had known the FBI agent had just received that information, how they did was what made them the best at their jobs. Everyone's phone pinged with the address.

"Mr. Beale, would you please contact LAPD and let them know where we think Mr. Deeks is? Tell them to contact me and we will coordinate our efforts. The last thing we need to do is be shooting at each other!" said Hetty.

Nell was the one who responded "I'll call right now Hetty. I'm assuming you want us to contact Lt. Bates?" Hetty nodded yes and Nell turned away from the screen to make the call.

Sam reached out and clasped the FBI agent on the shoulder. "Thank you Agent Leary. This is the best news we've had in hours!" For once, interagency cooperation had actually come through. She smiled grimly at Sam, pleased that they might be able to get their man back for them and hopeful that they might be able to take down Robinson and McGonagle, she had long suspected that that team was the one responsible for the trial related deaths so many years ago. She wanted justice for her mentor and friend.

Callen felt hopeful for the first time since they entered that damn warehouse last night. He chanced a look at Kensi who looked like she was about ready to explode and thought to himself how close the two had become over the years. Clearing his thoughts, he said "Let's gear up everyone; we have two hours to find this idiot and get Deeks back." Turning to Admiral Shelton he said "We'll keep you in the loop John."

"Yes, Callen, I know you will, seeing as I'll be with you."

Callen looked to Granger for help. "John, we really can't risk you being out there with us." Granger began.

John interrupted him. "I've seen three tours of duty in country, Owen. I think I can handle a raid on a warehouse in L.A." he stared Granger down who finally accepted that the man was going no matter what. He sighed and nodded at Callen.

"Fine, we'll get you an earwig and a vest. See that you use both." said Callen. John indicated his compliance.

Turning to Michelle, Callen made his second mistake. "Michelle, do you want us to drop you off at Ops so you can watch with Eric and Nell?" The raised eyebrow and the fierce look on her face made him take a step back. He looked at Sam for help only to find his partner staring at him in resignation. He'd been married to this woman long enough to know she would not be left behind. Sam left his partner hanging out to dry.

"Okay, okay! You get an earwig and vest too. Please, try to stay alive, will you, both of you?" He got nods from both Michelle and John. He glanced at Agent Leary and said sarcastically "You got your gear or do you need to borrow some of ours as well?"

"I've got mine in the trunk of my car. I'm ready to go when you are." She smirked back at him, enjoying the interaction between the people in the room. She found herself looking forward to meeting this Detective Deeks; he seemed to elicit intense loyalty.

"Very well, ladies and gentlemen, you have the address, head out! Owen and I will coordinate with LAPD from Ops." said Hetty

"You'll coordinate from Ops Hetty. I'm going with the team." Granger responded, determined not to be left out of the rescue mission. Hetty looked at him appraisingly, hearing something in his voice she hadn't heard in a long time. It would appear that their dear Assistant Director had fallen under Mr. Deeks's spell and was as worried about him as the rest of his teammates. She smiled; she knew only too well how Owen felt.

The whole group left the boatshed and split up into different cars. Hetty headed to the Mission, the rest headed to the meat packing plant where they desperately hoped they would find their friend alive.


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

The contingent from NCIS pulled up as a group, just down the street from the Northern L.A. Meat Packing plant. This is where they were to rendezvous with an LAPD SWAT team and paramedic unit. Surprisingly, or perhaps not, additional NCIS personnel had arrived from the Mission just moments before them.

Granger went up the unexpected group of agents, who were all watching him warily. They had not been asked to participate but one of their own was in danger, someone they all liked and respected and they wanted to help. Besides, Eric had willingly given them the address; no one had said it was secret. Granger eyed them for a moment, letting them stew a bit. Finally, he gave a grim smile and said "Agents Franklin, Porter, Samuels, Carson. Thank you for coming to support us. Once again, I know Deeks will appreciate it."

He turned and walked over to the SWAT team leader and introduced himself, holding out his hand. "Assistant Director Owen Granger, NCIS. The man we're about to rescue is one of yours but he's also one of ours. We'd like to take at least one of the men holding him alive, if at all possible. We need to find out who's behind this and stop them before another attempt is made."

The SWAT leader took Granger's hand and shook it. "Captain James Hiller, LAPD. Who's the man we're rescuing? I didn't realize he's a cop."

"Detective Marty Deeks." Granger said, frowning at the Captain. "LAPD is well aware of this. I'm not sure why they didn't inform you."

"Deeks? I've heard about him. What has he gotten himself into this time? Not surprised we weren't told. Apparently, he's not the most popular man on the force."

Listening to the exchange, wishing they would just hurry up so they could breach the building and find Deeks, Kensi took offense at the question and comments about her partner, her temper frayed to begin with. She stepped up close to the man, poked him in the chest and said "He's not gotten _himself_ into anything! He was abducted, we believe by a man he helped put away. Something every one of us, in this line of work, has to consider as a possibility. He's one of the best men I know and I don't appreciate your comments!" She poked him again, hard.

Captain Hiller stepped back from her and held up his hands, saying "I meant no offence ma'am. I don't know Detective Deeks personally. All I know is what I hear around the precincts, about the trouble that seems to follow him around and how others perceive him. As it happens, I generally believe only about 5% of what I hear. I was simply voicing my opinion as to why I think no one bothered to inform my team that we were going to rescue a fellow cop. We were just told to come here and work with NCIS on a rescue attempt of a kidnapping victim."

Kensi glared at him and turned to Granger. "We need to get this show on the road _now_! Who knows what they've done to him!" She stormed off to join Callen, Sam and the other NCIS agents. Granger turned to find Captain Hiller looking at him quizzically.

"He's her….partner." Granger said by way of explanation for her behavior. "They're very…close."

Hiller's eyebrows rose as he realized what Granger was not saying. "I understand. I won't take it personally." Granger nodded and motioned the NCIS group over to make introductions. When done, Hiller said to him in surprise "Why are the FBI, DEA, CIA and Naval Intelligence involved in this?"

Granger quirked an eyebrow and said "It would seem that LAPD is the only agency who _doesn't_ comprehend Detective Deeks's value." Kensi looked at him in shock. Granger had just admitted he admired, and maybe even liked, Deeks. She stored that tidbit away to tell Deeks after they found him, not allowing herself to believe she might never be able to tell him that Granger had paid him a compliment.

There were nods all around and John repeated what he had said at the boatshed. 'Marty's family and this is personal to us."

Hiller indicated his understanding and they got down to work, deciding that the best way to breach the building was to split up into teams, each team having at least one SWAT member. Based on the layout that Eric had sent to their phones, they knew there were two floors and three entrances. The first floor was mostly cold storage rooms and the main packing floor, which was two stories high. The second floor contained offices situated around the perimeter of the packing floor. Splitting into three teams, each was assigned an entrance. Once inside, they would split into smaller teams, one clearing the first floor, the other the second. Everyone geared up and put in their earwigs. Once everyone was in place, Granger would give the go, unaware that their presence had already been detected by the guards Sean had set up around the outside of the building.

One of them found Carl and gave him the approximate count of agents and cops who were about to descend on them. He swore and pulled out his cellphone to call Sean to warn him. On the main packing floor, Sean had just selected another tool from his work table. He was pleased that the detective was conscious once more and watching him decide what to use on him this time around. He was hoping that he would finally break the man, when his phone rang. Looking at the caller id he swore.

"What now, Carl?"

"Sean, the guards just notified me that several SUV's and an LAPD SWAT van pulled up down the street a few minutes ago."

"SWAT? How many cops?"

"He said he counted about twenty cops _and_ federal agents heading this way. Sean, he said he saw at least NCIS, DEA, FBI and LAPD vests! I thought you said they'd never find us? And why is every agency in town here? Who the hell _is_ this guy? We need to cut our losses and get out of here!"

Carl swore again and looked at the man hanging from the hook, angry to find a smile on his face. "I told you they'd find me, Sean. You might as well just give up now, do yourself a favor." said Deeks, prodding the man into acting. Sean backhanded him across the mouth.

"Shut the hell up! You're not in any position to be giving advice."

Deeks just spit out some blood and smirked at him.

"Carl, tell the guards to shoot to kill. Carl? CARL!" Sean yelled into the phone, getting no response.

"Did you lose your little playmate, Sean? Maybe he's already cutting a deal with NCIS, telling them how it was all your idea and how he tried to get you to stop. Wonder how many years you'll get compared to him?"

Sean reached behind him and pulled his gun out of his waistband. "I won't be doing any time. If I go out, I'm taking as many of them with me as I can. Maybe the first one to stick their head in here will be that pretty little brunette you seem so fond of. How about it _Marty_? Want to watch me blow Kensi's head off while you hang there, helpless? Maybe it'll be someone else you care about. One of your other teammates; someone like the big black guy with the nice little family. Maybe I'll be making his wife a widow today. Just remember this. Whoever it is, will die because of you. If you hadn't messed with Timmons, none of this would be happening! How does that make you feel, huh, smart ass?"

Deeks looked at him, fighting down his panic, not letting the emotions show on his face, refusing to let Sean finally get what he wanted. "You'll never get the chance. They're too smart, too good at what they do, to let you get the drop on them." He hoped and prayed that he was telling the truth. They both looked towards the door as gun shots sounded. When they faded away, they looked back at each other, neither one sure whose side had won that skirmish.

Out in the storage area of the building, Sam and Callen looked at the three guards their group had just taken out. Unfortunately, none of them were still alive. Callen tapped his earwig and said quietly. "Kensi? Granger? Hiller?"

Kensi replied first. "I'm on the second floor. We're clearing the offices. We haven't found anyone up here yet. We heard shots, are you guys ok?"

"We're good. You be careful."

"I will. Guys, we need to find him, _now_!"

"We know Kens, we know. We will."

They heard more shots fired, this time from the side of the building Granger had taken a team into.

"Granger?" Callen said again. They waited.

Granger finally responded. "We've cleared this side of the building. There was resistance but they're all dead now. We couldn't take any of them alive. Have you had better luck?"

"No." Callen sighed. "The guards on this side are all dead as well."

Hiller responded from his assigned area. "Same here. Every one of them's dead."

"Okay, we're getting ready to breach the main packing floor." Callen nodded at Sam and their LAPD partner, Officer Kevin Pastor, pointing to the door leading to it. Raising their guns, the team slowly made their way to it, standing to either side of the door, out of harm's way. Sam reached out and pushed the door, preparing to breach.

Inside the room, both men watched the door start to open. Sean raised his gun and aimed it at about head height. Behind him Deeks watched in horror. Adrenalin surged through him and he pulled his feet off the ground, the rush allowing him to ignore the pain his broken ribs sent shooting through him. Once again he used his hold on the rope as leverage, and with a scream, he pushed out as hard as he could, knocking Sean off the platform just as Sam stepped into the room. The motion forced one of his broken ribs into his lung and he instantly blacked out from the pain, his breathing becoming labored.

Sam heard the scream and watched as Deeks knocked a man off the platform he was standing on, with his feet no less, the man's gun skittering off into the corner. Approaching him carefully, he yelled "Federal Agent! Stay on the ground, put your hands behind your back!" When Sean complied, Callen moved into the room and cuffed him while Sam and Officer Pastor held their guns trained on him. Once he was secured, Sam and Callen both looked up at the nearly unrecognizable man hanging from a hook suspended from the ceiling, both of them frozen, unable to move.

Sam was the first to snap out it. "Damn it Deeks! What did they do to you?" he whispered.

~,~,~,~

A/N – thanks to ohBuddy66 for the prompt about Kensi not being on the team that finally found Deeks!


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Callen tapped his earwig and yelled "Eric, get the paramedics in here, NOW!" Hearing the panic in Callen's voice, Eric knew they must have found Deeks and that it wasn't good. He contacted the waiting paramedic unit to tell them it was safe to enter and to hurry. When he hung up, he and Nell stared at each other, feeling helpless this far away. Nell's eyes filled and Eric pulled her into his arms, both gaining strength from the contact, neither remembering that Hetty was standing behind them.

Hetty had her hands tightly gripped in front of her, trying not to let her worry show. They had found him and he was alive. That was a good start. She was pretty sure his team would fracture if he didn't make it. She was sure her own heart would break. The man had an uncanny ability to get under everyone's skin and make himself at home. So much so, that the absence of him would make you feel like you were missing a limb. She sighed and said a prayer to whatever god or gods were listening, that Mr. Deeks make it out of this one as he had so many others. She feared he might be bucking the odds at this point.

Back at the plant, Kensi stood in the last room that had needed to be cleared. She'd heard Callen's frantic call for the paramedics, she knew what it meant. She stared at what they'd found in this room. A window overlooking the packing floor with a camera pointed downwards, sitting dead center. The feed was showing on a laptop set up on a desk next to the camera's tripod. She could see the platform where Deeks was hanging. She watched as Sam and Callen went up to him, her heart in her throat. She saw Sam reach out to take Deeks's pulse, seeming to move in slow motion. When Sam nodded that he had found one, she felt her knees give out and she sank to the floor in relief. Jim Franklin came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently to let her know they were there. He nodded to FBI Agent Leary and motioned her to the laptop.

Cheryl went over to it and gently closed the lid, hiding the goings on below from Kensi. NCIS would take it back to their technical team and get whatever they could off it. She moved to the window and looked down at the scene below. She hoped the man that inspired such concern would make it. She thought again that she would like to meet him, once he was conscious.

Sam and Callen were trying to take Deeks down off the hook, Pastor watching from his position of guarding Sean, itching to help but not trusting the man to stay put. Callen moved around behind Deeks to get a better grip and froze. His eyes widened. Sam had wrapped his arms around the bloody man's torso, preparing to lift him, hoping that they could get the ropes off the hook, both he and Callen slipping in the pool of blood that had gathered under their friend. The amount of blood was something neither wanted to think about.

"G! What are you waiting for? Help me lift him up!"

"Sam. His back. His thighs and calves. Someone whipped him bloody." Callen whispered. They both looked over at the man who was cuffed on the floor. Rage passed over Sam's face. He was about to let go and give the man a taste of what he had inflicted on Deeks when Callen snagged his attention. "Sam. Later. Right now we need to focus on Deeks." He looked at Sean again, and said menacingly "There will be a later, I promise you that." Sean paled.

Turning their attention back to their injured friend, Sam wrapped his arms around him again. He had just flexed his muscles to lift Deeks when one of the paramedics burst through the door and screamed "Don't! Don't move him yet!"

As one, they turned to look at the woman running towards them. Sam said "We can't just leave him hanging there!"

"You have to, at least for now. You have no idea what his internal injuries may be. You could hurt him worse, or even kill him, if you aren't careful. Let me do my job!" Paramedic Tara Langely reached the platform and looked up at the man she hoped she could help. He was only wearing boxers that were soaked and stiff with his blood. He was unconscious and she could hear how labored his breathing was.

Putting her stethoscope in her ears, she listened to his chest. "Decreased breath sounds on the right."

She gently palpitated his sides and heard the distinctive creaking of broken ribs. "Broken ribs. Most likely one of them punctured his lung."

She raised his head and saw his lips were turning blue. "We need oxygen, now!"

She turned to yell for her partner to hurry when Randy Queen pushed the gurney through the door, hurrying to her side. "Randy, get the backboard ready and I need O2 right now! He's not getting enough oxygen."

Turning back to her patient, she stopped and stared at him for a second, not fully understanding who she was seeing. When it finally dawned on her she asked tentatively, not wanting to believe this bloody, bruised and beaten man was someone she knew, "Marty?"

Sam and Callen looked at each other in surprise. Sam asked "You know Deeks?"

Overcoming her surprise and her very real fear for the man in front of her, Tara went back to work. She placed the oxygen mask her partner handed her on Deeks's face and Randy turned it on. They then both started to work on strapping him to the backboard. As they worked frantically, she absentmindedly answered Sam's question. "Yeah, I know Marty. We dated casually for a few months several years ago. We finally decided we made better friends than lovers. We've stayed in touch over the years."

Callen just shook his head and said "Leave it to Deeks."

Tara looked at him and forced a small smile. "You know how it is. Cops, firemen, paramedics, we run in the same circles. Marty's a great guy, we just weren't a great couple."

Kensi entered the room just in time to hear the tail end of their conversation. She eyed the pretty blonde paramedic and waited for the surge of jealousy that never came. Her Deeks was a bloody mess and she found she didn't care how many of his exes worked on him, as long as whoever it was saved his life. She took a closer look at him and gasped. She'd never before seen anyone beaten so badly. No one that was still alive, that is. Sam heard the sound and noticed her for the first time. He touched Callen's shoulder and pointed her way. The two men walked to her and Sam put his arms around her. For the second time in as many days, Kensi buried her face in the broad chest of her teammate.

"He's strong, Kens. You need to be too. He'll make it. He has a lot to live for." He whispered to her. She nodded into his chest. The three of them stood there as the paramedics finished strapping Deeks to the backboard and put a collar around his neck.

Tara stepped back and said "We could use your help now. It's about as safe as we can make it to take him down." Sam let go of Kensi and he and Callen went back up to the platform, Pastor still keeping his eyes on their prisoner. With the two paramedics help, they were finally able to get him off the hook, using the backboard for leverage and to keep his body straight and still. Sam pulled out his knife and cut the bindings, Deeks's arms falling limply to his sides. They carried him to the gurney and the paramedics strapped him in, redoing the backboard straps to lock his arms into his sides. Randy lifted up the oxygen canister and placed it beside him.

Tara looked at the way Deeks's shoulders sat, she reached out and manipulated them. "Both his shoulders are dislocated. We'll deal with that at the hospital." She took in how pale he was, the amount of blood on the floor and on his body. "He's lost a lot of blood and he's still having trouble breathing. We've got to go. Now!" They rushed him out the door, Kensi right on their heels.

Sam and Callen hesitated. Pastor said "I've got this scumbag. Go! Be with your friend." Not needing to be told twice, the two hurried after the gurney.

When they reached the outside, they found Michelle, John and the other NCIS agents waiting. Michelle looked at Sam who just shook his head and shrugged. As the gurney was rushed by them, each reached out and touched whatever part of him they could as he passed. Willing him to fight and come back to them. Talia watched him go by, his face bruised and swollen, so still and pale. She felt her heart clench and realized she'd done exactly what she had sworn she wouldn't do. She'd fallen in love with the wrong man once again. She sighed and turned away, not seeing Michelle look at Kensi and open her arms. Kensi went into them willingly, sniffling back tears, the adrenalin rush of breaching and clearing the building was starting to wear off and was leaving her feeling sick and dizzy. Her fear for Deeks eating at her. Michelle squeezed her tight while John patted her on the shoulder.

She finally stepped back and joined everyone as they all stood there and watched Tara and Randy load the gurney containing Deeks into the back of the ambulance. She moved away from the group and headed towards it, fully intending to ride with him to the hospital, no matter what they said. She wasn't letting him out of her sights again for a moment, terrified that, if something went wrong, she wouldn't get the chance to say goodbye and let him know how much she loved him.

Kensi looked at Tara as she made her way into the back of the rig with her, daring the paramedic to tell her she couldn't come with them. Instead, Tara smiled encouragingly at her and asked "You're Kensi, aren't you?"

~,~,~,~

A/N - seems like I'm always saying this but, thanks to honus47 for reviewing and encouraging me!


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

" _You're Kensi, aren't you?"_

Kensi's jaw dropped open despite her best efforts to stop it. After a few seconds she managed "How..? Who…?" She cleared her throat and started again. "Who are you? How do you know my name?" She eyed the blonde suspiciously, the expected jealousy from earlier finally making its appearance now that Deeks was secured and on his way to the hospital.

Tara eyed the machines hooked up to Deeks and then turned to her, satisfied that her patient was stable for the moment. "Marty and I have been friends for a long time. We met at an accident scene he was covering for LAPD. He hadn't made detective yet. I thought he was kind of cute, until he smiled at me. You know that smile, the one that just lights up his whole face? I just thought, _man_ , he's _gorgeous_ and I asked him out right then and there, without really planning to. Truthfully, I'm not sure if I was capable of conscious thought at that moment! I was stunned when he said yes. We dated for a little while but there just wasn't that, I don't know, _spark?,_ between us. We decided it was better to just be friends. We meet up every once in a while, sometimes just for coffee, sometimes to catch up with a few drinks after work. He introduced me to my fiancé. He's an accountant, of all things. Marty and Dave went to college together. Met freshman year and became good friends. You know, he has a bit of a talent for matchmaking." She held up her left hand, showing off the ring. Tara choked down a laugh as Kensi smiled widely at the announcement she was engaged,

She eyed the brunette, liking what she was seeing, noting that her eyes never really left Marty's face. She knew his side of things but was now seeing first hand that this woman loved her friend deeply in return. She continued "He didn't tell me about his new position with NCIS at first. I think he was afraid it wouldn't last. When he finally did, I think it was more because he wanted to vent a little about the way he was treated." She frowned at Kensi, remembering him telling her he had felt unwelcome and disrespected. Some of the comments he'd repeated to her? Those had riled her up, made her want to go face down the high and mighty federal agents and tell them just what she thought of them. Her reactions had usually cheered him up and bolstered his confidence.

Kensi noted the frown and she felt herself blush a little. She didn't realize just how much to heart Deeks had taken their comments and the way they treated him at first, it was so long ago. He'd always seemed so confident, so cocky. He'd had a comeback for everything they'd said to him. She knew now that that was how he covered up his vulnerabilities. He'd let her in but she'd never thought back to his first months as Liaison Officer. Never thought to tell him she was sorry for the way they'd all treated him. She offered up a bargain. She would tell him she was sorry for every mean thing said to him back then, if the powers that be would just let him live.

She swallowed. "I know we were kind of hard on him when he started. He was replacing my partner, who had been kidnapped and who had been missing for a long time. Dom was never far from our minds and I know it especially bothered Sam and Callen to see someone else sitting at his desk. It sort of felt like we were giving up on him, that we'd decided we'd never find him again. It would have been the same for anyone who sat there; it wasn't just that it was Deeks. As for me, well, I was fighting a battle against my attraction to him. He was soooo not my usual type but there it was, right from the first time we met. Hell, I didn't even know he was a cop! I thought he was a suspect in a murder we were investigating and he still made my heart pound whenever I was near him." She found herself smiling at Tara, knowing that the woman would understand what she was saying. Tara grinned back, and then glanced back at the machines and her patient. Everything still appeared to be stable. She turned back to Kensi, her eyebrows raised to indicate she should continue.

"Anyway, once he started with NCIS as my partner, it took a while for us to trust him. He wasn't NCIS, he wasn't a federal agent but he's proven time and again that he's just as capable as any one of us. He just has a… _unique_ …way of looking at things. He uses humor to relieve tension or to hide his feelings of the moment. That was hard for Sam to swallow. As he'll tell anyone, he's Navy through and through. He thought that Deeks's way of dressing, his hair, his joking around, meant he was lacking in character. Deeks proved to him how wrong he was when he went through a really traumatic experience in order to save someone Sam was close to. Sam's one of his biggest advocates now. I think he's made it his life's mission to make up for the years of treating Deeks like he wasn't good enough." She couldn't disclose the details as most of that case was classified, but she wanted this woman to understand that the entire team valued the unconscious man on the gurney and would do anything for him, just as they knew he would for them. "We're a team, we're family. He's my best friend, my partner, my lover. I never thought this could happen to me. That my happiness could be so tied up in one person."

Trying to get the focus off her and their relationship, she said "And _you, you_ still haven't explained how you know my name or how you knew it was me."

Tara quirked an eyebrow at her. "Seriously? One look at your face as you barreled towards the rig, determined to come with him, no matter how much we objected, told me exactly who you were! Marty told me that you and that you had finally acted on your feelings for each other. All he did for almost three years was talk about you. How he was falling in love with you, the reasons why he didn't act on it, at first afraid you didn't feel the same, and then afraid it would rip away the most stable thing he had in his life. I know some at LAPD don't like him, I know they sent him into undercover situations without sufficient backup. At NCIS he seems to have finally found a place where he's not the square peg trying to fit into the round hole, a place where people will watch out and care for him. Then, for a while, he stopped mentioning you. I thought maybe you had left the agency or been reassigned to another office. I asked him about you a couple times, but I could see how much it hurt him so I stopped. Then, you were back and he was happy again. When he told me almost a year ago that you had finally admitted your feelings for each other and started a relationship, he practically glowed. He's been happier in these last months than I've ever seen him. "

Kensi smiled widened. She thought in wonder about the fact that he'd been talking about her for that long. Sharing how he felt about her, confiding in a friend about how much he cared about her. They'd wasted so much time fighting this "thing". And then the smile slipped when the machines monitoring Deeks's vital signs sounded an alarm. Tara whipped back to her patient and eyed the read outs. "Damn it, his BP's dropping!" She reached out and touched him, eying the bruising across his entire torso. "He's cold and clammy. Along with the bruising, it could mean he's bleeding internally." She yelled out to her partner. "Randy, speed it up, we need to get to the hospital _now_! Call ahead and let them know that the need for surgery just became critical!" Randy yelled back his understanding and pressed harder on the accelerator, reaching out for the radio at the same time. He updated the hospital who confirmed they had a surgeon and OR ready and waiting.

When the noise from the machines sent out one long droning sound, Tara yelled "We're losing him! He's flat lining. Damn it, he's in VT!" She grabbed the defibrillator from its storage space and turned it on. "Charging!" She began chest compressions while she waited for it to signal its readiness.

"Do you need me to stop? Do you need my help?" yelled Randy from the front.

"No! You need to get us to the hospital ten minutes ago. Kensi will help me if I need anything." Tara looked at Kensi for confirmation, still keeping count of the compressions in her head. She got a nod in response.

"I have some training in field medicine, it's necessary for our jobs." Kensi could hear her voice trembling and, for once, didn't care that someone besides Deeks might see her vulnerable. The sound filling the ambulance was squeezing her heart, filling her head with images of an empty future.

"Good. You do as I tell you, when I tell you, understood?"

Kensi nodded again just as the defibrillator indicated it was fully charged and ready.

"Clear!" Tara stopped the compressions, grabbed the two paddles and pressed them to Deeks's chest, his body rising slightly off the bed as the charge passed through him. The heart monitor tone didn't change. She began compressions again waiting for the machine to recharge. When it indicated it was ready, she stopped. "Clear!" she yelled and shocked him again. When there was still no change, she indicated to Kensi to take over chest compressions while she manipulated the machine. She yelled "Charging to 360!" turning up the voltage. When the machine whined its readiness, she pulled Kensi away and hit him again. This time the heart monitor started to show normal sinus rhythm, both women staring at it, barely breathing. When it didn't flat line again, they both took a deep breath and stared at each other, sharing a look that mingled both relief and fear. He was back but far from being out of the woods.

For the first time Kensi realized there were voices in her ear. She could hear Sam, Callen and Eric, all yelling for her attention, wanting to know what was going on. Sam's Challenger was right behind the ambulance with him, Callen and Michelle and he had noticed it picking up speed. Both he and Callen had been in this position before and knew that it wasn't a good sign. They'd relayed that information to OSP and, through Eric, to Hetty. They passed their fears on to Granger, who was following behind with John Shelton. Granger grimly agreed with their assessment that the turn of events was not positive.

Kensi reached up and tapped her earwig. "Sam? Callen? It's not good. He just flat lined. Tara had to shock him three times to get his heart started again. She's pretty sure he's bleeding internally in addition to a punctured lung and severe blood loss!" She took a deep breath and said "Guys! He…he died." She whispered again "He died."

"Kensi, you listen to me! You guys brought him back. I told you, he's strong and he has a lot to live for. Don't you dare give up now, you hear me?" Sam's voice rang in her ear.

"He's right, Kens. Deeks is a fighter! He won't give up and he'll need your strength!" this from Callen.

"Where are they taking him Kensi?" asked Eric. Kensi realized they had never discussed which hospital they were going to.

"Tara? What hospital are we headed to?" she asked.

"Pacific Beach Medical. It's the closest one."

"Eric? Pacific Beach Medical."

"Okay Kensi. Hetty, Nell and I will meet you there. He's gonna make it, you know he is!"

"Thanks Eric."

Pulling his Bluetooth out of his ear, Eric turned to Hetty, for once in his life ready to defy her if she told him they'd have to stay behind. He stared at her, daring her to tell him he couldn't go to the hospital and support his friend and teammate. He felt Nell step up to his side, slipping her hand into his and squeezing it, the two analysts presenting a united front.

Hetty simply nodded at them. "I'll drive." Turning she led them from ops.

Back in the ambulance, Kensi leaned forward and kissed Deeks forehead gently, her breath hitching at the feel of his skin, so different from its normal warm, dry condition. She whispered in his ear. "You stay with me, you hear me? You can't leave me alone here. You fight! You come back to me!" She kissed him again and whispered. "You're my everything, Deeks! I love you so much; I can't do this without you. I don't _want_ to do this without you." A lone tear made its way down her face and dropped onto his.

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A/N – thanks to ohBuddy66 for some suggestions that led to slight rewrites to this chapter before it was published and some ideas for the upcoming ones that will finish this story arc.

Thanks to honus47 for reviewing, correctly typos and encouraging me!

Don't ask how long this one will take to resolve, you've seen that I can't be held to a number. This story was supposedly completed 43 chapters ago! Everyone keeps offering up such great ideas that one chapter turns into three..or four…or five!

Please keep reviewing and offering suggestions/prompts! They're really encouraging and make my day. Even if you don't like the way things are going, let me know. Constructive criticism is always gladly welcomed!


	50. Chapter 50

A/N – Would you call this a milestone? I think I'll call it a milestone. Fifty chapters! I published my first story in May of this year after stumbling on this wonderful site. A site filled with stories that I wished would happen on my favorite shows, stories that showed I wasn't alone in that wishful thinking. Prior to that story, if anyone had asked, I would've said I didn't have a creative bone in my body and absolutely no imagination. I've lived cough, cough, cough years with nothing to contradict that until now. I'm still not necessarily sure I've proven myself wrong, but it's been a fun ride so far and I've made some friends along the way. Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed, made the suggestions and left prompts, that have led us to this point. It's not over yet! I'm starting to think it might never be and you know what? I'm surprisingly fine with that!

Thanks again to honus47 for reviewing and catching my mistakes!

I guess I'll take this milestone moment to once again disclaim any ownership of NCIS:LA or it's characters. RATS!

~,~,~,~

Chapter 50

The ambulance skidded to a halt in front of the emergency bay doors at Pacific Beach Medical. Medical personnel swarmed out, ready to take over from the paramedics. Randy jumped out of the driver's seat and opened the back of the rig to help his partner maneuver the gurney out. Once out, Tara completely forgot about the federal agent who had ridden with them. She raced into the hospital with the ER doctor and nurses, providing her patient's vitals and detailed information on what had gone down on the ride over. Randy turned to help Kensi out but she had already jumped down on her own and was close on the heels of the group surrounding her partner. He watched her disappear through the doors.

Sam found a parking space for the Challenger and he, Callen and Michelle piled out and headed for the emergency room entrance at a run. Granger and John were not far behind them. Randy watched them head his way, wondering if they even knew they were still wearing their vests. He supposed he should be grateful that they'd at least gotten rid of their weapons. Callen was the first to speak when they reached him.

"What the hell happened? How is he?"

Randy didn't take offense at the harsh tone, he knew these people were scared for their friend, he'd seen it time and time again. He'd learned not to take it as a personal attack. "He coded on the ride over. Based on his symptoms, Tara thinks he's bleeding internally, along with the possible punctured lung and obvious blood loss. She and Kensi brought him back. He's in good hands now." He said gently.

Callen nodded, Randy's words confirming what Kensi had told them over comms. He and Sam looked at each other, knowing the hard part was coming up, the waiting and the worrying. They would both rather be out taking on a dozen armed men than face the next few hours. Sam felt Michelle's hand slip into his and he squeezed it, looking down at her face gratefully. He found himself wondering, not for the first time in their marriage, what he would do if he were in Kensi's position. Knowing that the person he loved most in the world was fighting for their life and he was powerless to do anything but sit and wait. He could tell by the look on her face that she was thinking the same. He pulled her closer to him, needing to feel her near.

"I radioed ahead; the doctors know what they're dealing with. They'll get x-rays so they can tell where the damage to the lung is and they'll repair it. You have to know that some of the best medical personnel in California are right here, in this hospital. They'll do everything in their power to make sure Detective Deeks makes it." Randy said, trying to comfort the group in front of him. He got nods and smiles of thank you from them in return.

He nodded back and went to enter the rig when Sam grabbed him by the shoulder. "I want to thank you. You and your partner, for getting him here, alive. For doing everything in your power to make sure he has the best possible chance at survival. I want you to know we, and everyone at NCIS, appreciates it." He held out his hand.

Randy shook it and smiled and said "Just doing our jobs. Hopefully, this will be one of the success stories. You should head in and make sure Kensi is doing okay." Sam nodded and the group hurried through the doors Deeks and Kensi had disappeared through earlier. He turned back and entered the rig; it was time to do his inventory to replace whatever they had used on this run so that they would be fully stocked and ready for the next one.

Inside the hospital, the group could hear Kensi's voice and followed it. When they caught sight of her, the pace picked up. It was obvious she wanted to be somewhere she wasn't allowed and the male nurse standing in front of her was not going to let her in. The argument came into focus as they got closer.

"I need to be in there! I need to see him!"

"Ma'am, you need to calm down! You can't go back there. The doctors are working on him and they don't need you in the way!"

"I don't care! You let me in and you let me in now! I'm a federal agent and he's my partner! _Now, get…out…of….my….way_!"

"No!"

Sam reached her just as her arm came up, ready to punch out the obstacle that stood between her and Deeks. He grabbed it as she swung and pulled her around. "Kensi! You need to let them do their job! I know it sucks, but you need to step back, _now_!"

Kensi glared up at him and they stared at each other. Eventually, she sagged as she realized Sam was right. There was nothing she could do to help and she might even hinder the doctors as they worked to save Deeks's life. "Sam? What am I going to do if…?"

Sam interrupted her. "You'll do what we all do, Kens. You'll be strong and you'll get through it, with all of us by your side. But don't think like that. He's alive, he's in good hands and he'll pull through." He looked down at her. "He's too stubborn and annoying to die on us. He has too many good years of aggravating me and Callen ahead of him to give up now!" He smiled gently at her, willing her to smile back. When she did, albeit weakly, he was relieved. Distraught Kensi was taking a back seat to logical Kensi. He looked up at the nurse who was still watching them warily. "Waiting room?" Sam asked him.

The man pointed to the right and said "Down that corridor, first door on your left." He looked at Kensi and his face softened. "As soon as we know anything, I promise you, I'll come out and let you know. We'll all do everything in our power to make sure your partner survives." Kensi nodded and looked at him apologetically. He just nodded and smiled, turning to head back into where the action was going on, confident that her friends and obvious teammates, based on the matching Kevlar vests, would keep her under control.

The group ushered her towards the indicated waiting room. Once inside, they all stopped, not sure if they should sit or just start the worried pacing now. Michelle made her decision and went to Kensi's side, grabbing her hand and guiding her to a waiting couch. She sat down and pulled Kensi down beside her, wrapping her arms around her friend. Kensi leaned into her touch, taking comfort from the woman who knew better than anyone what she was going through. Sam had been hurt on the job more than once and Michelle had been the loved one waiting for the life or death sentence to walk through the door. The men gathered off to the side and began quietly discussing the events of the last two days and how the next few would play out. One thing was unanimously agreed on; whoever was behind this would be caught and punished, no matter how long it took. Unspoken was the idea that it may not be the legal system doing the punishment.

The door to the waiting room opened and Talia entered along with Agent Leary. Talia warily eyed Kensi sitting on the couch with Michelle, unsure if she would be welcome but unable to stay away. She went over to the men to get an update on Deeks, Cheryl close on her heels. Kensi watched from the safety of Michelle's arms, unable to hear the quiet conversation that ensued although she didn't need to, she knew what, or rather, who, it was about. She watched as Sam undoubtedly filled the other woman in on what had happened in the ambulance, the exam room and Deeks's current condition. She watched as the blood drained from her face and her knees buckled. She watched as Sam reached out and caught her. Pulling out of Michelle's embrace, she stood up and headed towards them, her eyes only on Talia. The men watched her approach with concern, hoping this didn't devolve into a cat fight right here and now. They'd seen the two women's interaction when it came to Deeks, and it usually wasn't pretty, bloodshed had even followed on more than one occasion. Talia looked up and saw Kensi coming. She straightened and waited.

Kensi paused a few feet away. Talia walked away from the group and faced her. Talia respected this tough woman in front of her and felt they could have been friends under different circumstances. She waited to see what Kensi would do. What happened next stunned her. Kensi opened her arms to her. Without thinking, she walked right into them. The two women clung to each other for a few moments, their shared fear for the man they both loved forging a bond.

Kensi pulled back a little and placed her forehead against Talia's. Sam and Callen watched in amazement, both of them noting the striking resemblance between the two women. Both tall, slender, beautiful, _deadly_ brunettes and both in love with their LAPD teammate. They could easily pass for sisters.

"He's annoying." said Kensi.

"Scruffy." was Talia's reply.

"Inappropriate."

"Cocky."

"Smart."

"Kind."

"Gentle."

"Compassionate."

"Caring."

"Generous."

"Loyal."

"Yours." Talia whispered.

"Mine." Kensi agreed. "And I'm his. We're each other's." She pulled away and looked Talia in the eye. She saw the pain there. The same pain that she was knew was in hers. "You love him." It was a statement of fact, not a question.

"Yes, but too late. I never stood a chance with him. I knew that from the first moment I partnered with him when you were gone. I threw more than a few hints out there that I was interested and he completely ignored them. I knew there was someone. Then I saw you two together and I knew how it was. You have to know I fought it, it wasn't planned. This isn't what I wanted."

"I know. It wasn't what I wanted either. I fought it for years, hard. He just gets under your skin and makes himself important to you. The next thing you know he's the most necessary thing in your life, like air."

Talia opened her mouth to respond when the door to the room opened, all eyes turned to see who it was, no one breathing, hoping it would be good news. They all huffed out a sigh of disappointment when it turned out to be Hetty, Nell and Eric. The three newcomers stopped dead just inside the door, taking in the sight of Talia and Kensi holding each other. The two women shared a small smile and stepped away from each other, the moment broken.

Nell blinked away her surprise and went up to her friend, pulling her into a hug. "How's he doing Kensi? Have you heard anything?" Kensi just shook her head no.

Eric came up behind Nell and placed his hand on her shoulder. "No news is good news, right? At least, for now?"

Kensi smiled at him and said "Yes, Eric. No news is good news." but her smile didn't reach her eyes.

Hetty noted this and approached her agent. "How are _you_ holding up, Miss. Blye?"

"I'm doing as well as can be expected Hetty. I don't know what to do, how to make it better. I feel so helpless!"

Hetty reached out and put her hand on Kensi's forearm, knowing exactly how the young woman felt. She, herself, had been in this position more times than she wanted to count. Worried about someone she cared about. Someone whose fate hung in the balance with not a damn thing she could do about it. She squeezed and said "We're all here for you and Mr. Deeks, Kensi. Whatever you need, just ask." Kensi stared at her, not sure how she felt about the use of her first name. Hetty only did that in specific circumstances and she didn't know how to take it. Her eyes flicked up once more when the door opened again. Again, she was disappointed when Laura and Meaghan walked in.

She tried to put on a good face and found herself comforting a shaking Meaghan. The young girl had made a beeline for Kensi and was holding on for dear life, her slender frame shaking as she sobbed into Kensi's shoulder. Eventually it started to get to her and Laura saw it.

Coming over, she pulled her daughter away from Kensi and into her own arms. "Come over here with your dad and me, Meaghan. Let's let Kensi alone for a moment." Kensi's eyes met Laura's and she silently thanked her. "I called the rest of the gang as soon as I hung up from John. Joelle, Cassie and Paula will be here as soon as possible. Cindy and Chris are going to try to get a baby sitter. If they can't, they'll bring L.C. with them."

Kensi smiled at Laura's use of the nickname Deeks had bestowed on Cindy and Chris's small son. The smile wavered as the unbidden thought entered her head that he may never give anyone a cheesy nickname ever again. Laura caught the shift and said sternly "Don't! Don't you dare go there!" Kensi breathed deep and nodded.

The door opened again and she was resigned to it being anyone other than the doctor with news. When the words "Family of Detective Deeks?" were heard, everyone surged forward to surround her, prepared to help if the news was bad. The same nurse that prevented Kensi from following Deeks stood there, making good on his promise that he would keep the group informed.

"He's on his way up to surgery. They've located the position of the tear in his lung. They also have a good idea of where he's bleeding internally and will repair both. I'm sorry I don't have any additional news. His surgeon is one of the best at his job, she'll do everything possible to pull the detective through but you have to be prepared. He coded once in the ambulance and again in the exam room. He's still with us but I can't give you a positive prognosis. It's going to be a wait and see."


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

 _He's still with us but I can't give you a positive prognosis. It's going to be a wait and see."_

His words were met with silence as each person processed what this meant. Kensi was the first to speak. "As long as he draws breath, I know he's going to fight to stay with us. I have to believe that."

Sam huffed out "He's stubborn. We've all seen _that_ up close and personal." He looked at the man standing in front of him. "Thank you for coming to tell us personally. It means a lot that you kept your promise to let us know what was going on with our friend. I'm Agent Sam Hanna." He held out his hand.

"Craig Trent. I'm the senior ER nurse." The other man said, shaking Sam's hand. "You'll find I mean what I say and I say what I mean. And what I'm saying right now is that your friend is where he needs to be. His surgical team is top notch and he couldn't be in better hands." He looked around the room, trying to make eye contact with each person, wanting to convey his total confidence in his people without making promises he couldn't keep.

"As I said before, I'll let you know anything I hear as soon as I hear it." He looked around the room again, his eyes lighting on one person who had caught his attention the first time. She was tall and slender, dark haired and dark eyed, not a classic beauty but striking. He wondered idly if she was related to the scary one with the mismatched eyes. Her vest said DEA so he knew she was another federal agent and his first, inappropriate to the situation, thought was she was hot, smoking hot. He'd always found strong woman attractive. The soft clingy ones left him cold. He realized she had just caught him staring and was returning his look with one of interest. Ok, _so_ not the time or the place for this. Clearing his throat, he decided to try to inject a little levity. "You know, y'all might be a little more comfortable out of the Kevlar." He wasn't sure they were even aware they were still wearing them.

When each of the agents looked down at themselves in surprise, he knew he'd been right. None of them even remembered they had on their vests. He wondered what it would be like to live a life where wearing body armor was so commonplace as to be forgettable. He watched as they all started to remove them, the agent who'd introduced himself as Sam, gathering them together. He looked at his watch and realized he needed to get back to work. Every ER in L.A. was a busy place. "Agent Hanna? I need to go but I'll keep you up to date as much as I can. Once the surgery is complete, the doctor will be in to speak with you."

Sam nodded his thanks and Craig left the room, Talia watching him go with interest. She knew Deeks was unavailable to her and that she needed to move on. The nurse was, in her estimation, hot, and he'd certainly seemed interested. She tried to work up something more than just the little interest she'd felt so far and was worried when it didn't come. Damn Deeks anyway.

Sam turned to the growing pile of vests and said "I'll take these out to the Challenger and lock them up. G, want to help me carry them?" Callen nodded and the two split the pile and headed towards the door. Sam turned back and looked at Kensi "We'll be right back." She nodded at him and had to smile at his protective big brother persona that had come out in full force. She turned back to her "family" and realized she hadn't called her mother. Julia adored Deeks and had hinted more than once about engagements and weddings.

"I need to call my mom! I can't believe I didn't think of that." Kensi and Julia's relationship had improved tremendously, some of it due to Deeks pushing her to spend time with her mother, even going as far as to go with them to smooth out the awkwardness that still reared its ugly head. She had to smile when she remembered him going with them on a shopping trip last month and having to stand outside the dressing room door, holding Julia's purse, being asked to pass judgment on outfit after outfit that Julia had tried on and those that she had forced on Kensi. He had claimed to enjoy the whole outing but she had seen the look of utter panic on his face when Julia had come out in a particularly ugly pant suit. She was still not sure if her mom had picked it deliberately to tease him. The woman had serious good taste in clothes and that pant suit had been hideous.

She started to reach for her phone when Hetty forestalled her. "It's already taken care of Kensi. I called her myself. She wasn't at home and told me to tell you she would be here as soon as she could. I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to tell you sooner."

"Thank you Hetty." Kensi looked around the room, looking for something, anything, to occupy her mind, something other than the thoughts of what her future might look like. The door opened and a welcome diversion came through in the form of Cassie, Paula, Cindy, Chris and L.C. Obviously the Peterson's had not been able to get a sitter and she was glad. The baby would be something positive to focus on. She moved forward to share what little they knew about Deeks's condition and to give and accept hugs, drawing and giving strength.

FBI Agent Leary saw her opportunity to finally pass on some evidence she had been requested to give to Hetty. Reaching into the messenger bag she had brought with her, she pulled out an evidence bag containing the laptop they'd recovered from the scene. "Ms. Lange?"

Hetty turned to her, raising an eyebrow. Cheryl nodded and continued "Sorry, _Hetty_. Your forensics team asked me to pass this on to you. They dusted it for fingerprints and other physical evidence. They said you'd know what to do with it now. I can tell you that there was a camera attached to it at the scene and that it was displaying the plant floor in real time." She handed the bag to Hetty.

"I do indeed, Miss. Leary. Mr. Beale?" Eric hurried to her side. "Please work your magic on this and find us whatever you can that we can use as evidence against this bastard!"

Eric grabbed the laptop and nodded, eager to contribute whatever he could to making sure the man or men who put Deeks in the hospital paid for it. He turned and went back to where Nell was sitting, waiting for him, her keen eyes having taken in the whole exchange. The two techs put their heads together and started to work.

Out in the parking lot, Sam and Callen finished packing the vests into the Challenger's trunk and Sam slammed the trunk closed, a little harder than necessary. Okay, a lot harder than necessary. Callen looked at his partner, knowing full well what was going on behind that calm demeanor. "Want to talk about it big guy?"

"No." Sam looked at him and immediately continued. "What kind of person does that to another human being, G? All these years in this game and I still haven't been able to figure out what makes these guys tick. You saw Deeks. There's no way that that guy did all that without getting some kind of kick out of it." He paused and Callen knew he was about to find out exactly what was really bothering his best friend and partner. "We didn't listen to him, G! Kensi was right. It's our fault he's here. If we had listened to what his instinct was telling him, he wouldn't have had to go through all that. He knew! He knew something was wrong and we all blew him off. What kind of teammates does that make us? And then, then we just left him there! I have to wonder, if it had been one of us, what would his instincts have told him? Would he have insisted on someone staying behind? Would we have listened to him?"

"I said it then and I'll say it now. We can't go back and change things, Sam. We can only learn from our mistakes and make sure we don't make them again. I know I'll be paying more attention to those instincts. Well, about situations like that, not about the hot fruit of the moment or walking desks!" He tilted his head at Sam, getting the smirk he'd been aiming for. He continued in a more serious tone. "You know he won't blame us. Hell, he'll probably find some way to blame himself. We have to focus on the positive. We got him back; he's alive and has a fighting chance. We've got the son of a bitch who did this and we're gonna get the bastard who ordered it. You know damn well that no one in that plant was the mastermind. Concentrate your energy on finding out who that is and on Deeks getting better."

Sam sighed, knowing Callen was right. Truthfully, it was the fact that they'd left the warehouse when he was still there that bothered him the most. It went against every military engrained instinct in his body. You never left a man behind. True, they hadn't known he was there and didn't figure it out until they got to Culver and talked to Officer Wolinsky.

"Wolinsky!" Callen frowned at him in confusion, not sure how he'd gotten from blaming himself for leaving Deeks in the warehouse to naming an LAPD officer they'd only met once. "Wolinsky asked us to let him know when we found Deeks. We need to call him."

"LAPD knows we found him, Sam. They were there, they helped locate him. Wolinsky surely knows by now."

"Like Hiller knew it was Deeks we were rescuing?"

"Good point."

Sam pulled out his phone and called the LAPD number Deeks had given all of them to use if they ever needed information when he wasn't around.

"LAPD, Sgt. Carroll."

"This is Special Agent Sam Hanna with NCIS. I'm trying to reach an Officer Stan Wolinsky. It's important. Can you patch me through to him or get him a message to call me immediately?"

"Please hold. Let me locate Officer Wolinsky."

Sam waited impatiently, listening to bad background music. An excruciating five minutes later he heard the telltale click of his call being transferred. "Agent Hanna? This is Stan Wolinsky. Did you find him? Is he okay?"

Sam sighed; this was another thing he would never understand. LAPD politics and pettiness. "Yes, Officer Wolinsky. We found him. He's in surgery at Pacific Beach Medical right now." Sam paused and took a steadying breath. "They aren't sure he's going to make it. He's bleeding internally, lost a lot of blood and has a punctured lung, amongst other things. They're doing everything they can. Are you telling me that you had no idea? That there are no rumors flying around? I thought the "boys in blue" rallied round their own?"

"We do! But if we don't know what's going down, how can we?"

"LAPD was involved Wolinsky! SWAT was on scene with us."

"That's news to me but then I'm not very high up the food chain! Look, I'm just about to go off duty. I'll be there as soon as I can. How will I find you?"

"Ask for Nurse Trent. He'll bring you to us."

"Thanks." The officer said and hung up.

"I was right G. Wolinsky had no idea we'd found him, that SWAT was involved in the rescue and he knew nothing about his condition. When Deeks is back on his feet, we need to get him out of there. We need to do a full court press to get him to resign and apply as an NCIS agent. I'm sure Hetty and Granger can get it pushed through immediately."

Callen looked guilty for a moment before schooling his features to reflect agreement. He should've known Sam would pick up on it.

"Something you want to tell me, _partner_?"

Callen sighed. He could just bluff and say no but he knew his partner better than anyone. The man was a bulldog and wouldn't let this go. Not if he was sure Callen knew something he didn't.

"Well. Hetty may, or may not, have made that offer to Deeks a couple years ago. Right before she took off to Romania."

"She _what_? What happened? Why is he still a cop?"

"When Hetty confided in me that she'd made the offer, she told me he turned her down. He told her he was honored but that being a cop was more than what he did, it was who he was."

Sam shook his head. "Things have changed. It's time he realized that. He's an agent in all but name. He stopped being an LAPD cop a long time ago."

Callen had to agree. "As team lead, I hereby declare that "Operation Agent Deeks" will commence as soon as he's coherent. We'll read the rest of the team in when we get back inside."

Sam had to laugh. Callen could be gruff and appear unemotional to those who didn't know him but, as cliché as it sounded, still waters run deep. There was a reason for that saying and, as old and tired as it was, it still held true. Deeks didn't stand a chance.


	52. Chapter 52

A/N - I'm currently in San Francisco for work and haven't made the adjustment to the three hour time difference from home yet. While this has not been conducive to a restful night's sleep, it has led to a flurry of updates to this story as I've been getting up in the wee hours of the morning with nothing else to do. Hopefully, I don't devolve into a sleep deprived nut job and start posting weirdness. Luckily, I have honus47 to stop that from happening!

On a positive note, I'm in the same state as Deeks...shivers uncontrollably...lol!

~,~,~,~

Chapter 52

Officer Stan Wolinsky changed out of uniform as quickly as he could. He slammed his locker closed and headed out, almost running down a man who was on his way in. He opened his mouth to apologize when he recognized him, Deeks having pointed him out one time when he'd come by to pick Stan up for a trip to the shooting range. Deeks had been coaching him, helping him to improve his aim and gun craft.

"Lt. Bates?"

"Yes? Officer Wolinsky, isn't it?"

Stan puffed up a little, pleased that the Lieutenant knew his name. He was unaware that Bates made it a point to learn all the rookie's names and evaluate them, trying to see if he could find that unexplainable spark that made a great cop and detective. Wolinsky was on his radar, especially after he'd found out that Deeks had taken him under his wing. Deeks had a good instinct about these things.

"Yes sir! I'm sorry I almost ran you down, sir. I'm just eager to get to the hospital to see if he's going to make it."

"If who's going to make it?"

Stan frowned. "Deeks." He said hesitantly.

Bates felt his blood pressure rise. "What do you mean see if Deeks is going to make it? What the hell are you talking about?" If that little Ninja Svengali had gotten his best undercover cop hurt, he would ignore all his instincts to give her a wide berth and make her life miserable.

Stan backed away a little, not sure why the Lieutenant didn't know what was going on. He knew LAPD had been involved; the man should have been informed as Deeks's LAPD commanding officer. Something was going on here.

"Deeks was abducted yesterday. They found and rescued him today. Lt, I know that LAPD was involved in the operation, specifically SWAT."

"Exactly _how_ do you know these things?" Bates was still not sure if the rookie was trying to put one over on him. Maybe Deeks had put him up to it, to test how well he could sell a cover.

"An Agent Sam Hanna from NCIS called me a few minutes ago. I met him at the scene of a supposed sighting of Deeks on Culver yesterday, after he went missing. We got several calls about a man in an NCIS vest who matched Marty's description, wandering around, heavily armed. When we got to the scene, there was no sign of him. Three NCIS agents showed up and, when I told them we'd found nothing, they figured out that the sightings had been a ruse to draw them away from where Deeks had been taken. They somehow figured out where he was being held and got him out. I don't have any of the details of how that happened. All I know is that SWAT was in on it, that he's in bad shape and in surgery right now. That's where I'm headed."

Bates nodded. "What hospital?"

"Pacific Beach."

"Wait here one minute." Bates strode angrily to his locker and pulled out his jacket. He was damn well going to find out what was going on. Slamming the door, he returned to the waiting officer. "Let's go. I'm driving."

Stan trotted behind the angry man, trying to keep up. His lifelong dream had been to be a cop and he'd achieved it. He wanted to make detective and had been proud when Deeks had befriended him and agreed to help him hone his skills, even after he botched their first meeting. He still couldn't believe that Deeks didn't hold it against him, that he seemed to find it a funny story. Stan had always had an idealized view of the blue brotherhood and Deeks had only enforced that. What was happening right now confused him. This was not the way things were supposed to go. He silently got into the car with the Lieutenant, feeling the waves of raw anger coming off the man. He knew he wasn't the target of the man's anger but he couldn't help feeling somehow guilty.

"Stop feeling guilty Wolinsky. You did nothing wrong. Something stinks in this whole situation. I intend to find out what it is and you're going to help me."

"How did you know…"

"I was one of the best interrogators the Army had during Desert Storm. I can read a person's body language and yours is screaming guilt. That's what makes Deeks such a great undercover. I could never get an accurate read on him if he didn't want me to. That's a skill you don't see too often and it can't be taught. It's inherent."

Stan looked at the man sitting next to him and made a bold statement. "You care about him?""

"Of course I care about him! He's a major pain in my ass but he's one of mine. I keep expecting to find his resignation on my desk. Expecting to find that that little ninja has finally poached him from me." He looked over at Stan. "I know it's going to happen eventually. I know he's found a home there, one he didn't find at LAPD no matter how hard I tried to find him the right niche. Even when he does, however, he'll still be one of mine and I'll always look out for him whenever I can."

"You admire him!"

"Yes, and if you _ever_ tell him I said that, I'll make sure you're on traffic duty for the rest of your career! Am I understood?"

Stan had the nerve to grin at the glowering man. He was finding his courage and hoped that it didn't back fire. "What do you think is going on, Lt? Doesn't it seem odd that no one informed you he was even missing or that he was hurt? I hadn't heard a thing until Agent Hanna called me. If SWAT was deployed to help rescue a cop, that should've spread like wildfire. I don't like it; I don't like it at all."

Bates looked at the young man, somewhat impressed with his assessment that something was wrong. An assessment he fully agreed with. He knew he could trust Deeks instincts about this rookie. He pulled into the parking lot of Pacific Beach Medical and parked. Turning off the car he said "I don't like it either kid, and I fully intend to get to the bottom of it. No one messes with me or one of mine, and gets away with it."

He got out of the car and didn't bother to wait to see if Wolinsky followed him, knowing full well the young man would. Stan ran to catch up with him and then slowed his pace to match. "Agent Hanna told me to ask for a Nurse Trent who would show us to where everyone else is waiting."

Bates nodded and together they went through the emergency room doors. Tracking down the first person in scrubs, a harried looking blonde with pink streaks in her hair, Bates pulled out his badge and said "I'm looking for a Nurse Trent."

The woman turned and yelled "Hey Craig, someone here to see you." With that she hurried away to deal with the next patient on her never ending list.

Craig Trent approached the two men, already knowing that they were here for the detective. The size of the group in the waiting room was increasing by the minute. "I'm Craig Trent. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say you're here looking for the group waiting on Detective Deeks?"

Bates held up his badge again. "Yes. Lt. Bates, LAPD. Officer Wolinsky."

"Come this way." Craig turned to lead the two newcomers to the waiting room where the others were. He had a feeling this was going to be an explosive meeting. He sighed heavily; he hoped he didn't have to intervene. He perked up when he realized he'd get to see the hot DEA agent again and picked up his pace, the others keeping up with him easily. He opened the door and waved them through. True to his expectations, the temperature in the room seemed to drop about 10 degrees.

"Bates! What the hell are you doing here?" Sam asked angrily, advancing on the man. Bates stood his ground. Stan and Craig watched the unfolding scene with interest.

"I'm here because I was just informed that one of my detectives was kidnapped and hurt. When were you going to tell me about this? How the hell did you get him into this situation?" Bates was just as angry.

Callen stepped between the two men, holding them apart with arms outspread. "Enough! Both of you! This is neither the time nor the place to start slinging blame. You both know that something's going on. Something we need to figure out, together." He turned his head towards Bates when he saw his partner calm down enough that he could take his eyes off him. "Exactly what do you know Lt.?"

"That you got one of my men kidnapped and hurt. What the hell happened? Were you not paying attention to the cop? Too busy playing the big bad federal agents?"

Sam pushed against Callen's hand on his chest, trying to get to the irate man on the other side of his partner, all his rage about what happened to Deeks now focused on Bates. "Enough! That's not what happened! We're pretty sure that the people who took Deeks targeted him specifically and that it has nothing to do with an NCIS case. That being said, LAPD SWAT was a fully involved participant in the raid. How did you not know what was going on? Something's wrong at LAPD and you have to know it Bates!"

Bates took a deep breath and backed off, knowing that Callen had just voiced his own concerns. "Yes, something's wrong and I don't think it's _just_ with LAPD. I think it's time we compared notes. This smacks of someone in both NCIS and LAPD being involved." Callen raised his eyebrows, he hadn't considered that. He looked at Sam questioningly. Sam reluctantly nodded that he was going to play nice, at least for now.

Moving out from between the two men, Callen introduced him to the people in the room he didn't already know, including Granger who had yet to meet Deeks's LAPD boss. He was surprised when Bates approached Kensi and put his hands on her shoulders. He looked down at her and said gently "He's going to make it Agent Blye. He's not going give up now that he has pretty much everything he's ever wanted." Kensi looked at him with her mouth open. She knew Deeks wasn't around LAPD that much anymore and wasn't sure when his LAPD boss had figured out how things were between them.

"How did you know?"

"You just told me." Bates smirked at her. "The last couple times I've seen Deeks, I could tell he was happy. Not the happy in his work kind of thing but happy in his personal space. I wasn't sure it was you, although I suspected it during the Clarence Fisk case. How long?"

"Almost a year now."

"Jeez, you two are slow movers!" The unexpected comment relieved the tension in the room and elicited a laugh from the NCIS agents. Talia smiled sadly but didn't join in the laughter and Cheryl had no idea what was going on, although she knew there was a romantic relationship between the female NCIS agent and her partner. She'd seen enough tonight to come to that conclusion.

The federal agents once again moved away from the civilians to discuss the case, this time the cops joining them. Granger brought Bates up to speed, including the fact that SWAT had not been told they were rescuing a fellow cop, that they'd only been told it was an interagency op to rescue an unknown kidnap victim. Bates knew who Hiller was and was confident the guy was on the up and up. The rest of the SWAT team were strangers to him. They were trying on different scenarios when Granger's phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and said "I have to take this. Excuse me for a moment." Walking out the door, they heard him answer the phone. "Granger."

The rest was lost when the door closed behind him but not for long. Through the closed door they could hear his voice rise, the words clear. "What do you mean you lost him?" Pause. "Find him! _Now_!" The door opened and a very angry Granger appeared.

"Owen? What's happened?" asked Hetty, all eyes on him.

"That was Agent Franklin. LAPD Officer Pastor is dead. Sean McGonagle is in the wind."


	53. Chapter 53

A/N – So, I went from posting like crazy to not posting at all. I finally adjusted to west coast time, just in time to head back to the east coast on the red eye, followed rapidly by daylight savings time. I finally feel like I'm getting back to normal, well, as normal as one can expect from me. Hopefully there will not be as long a delay until the next chapter! At least, that's my plan at the moment.

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Chapter 53

Sam exploded at Granger. "How the hell did he escape? He was handcuffed and under armed guard when we left! Pastor assured us he was fine and told us to go with Deeks!" Sam pushed his way into Granger's personal space, his anger aimed at him and obviously misplaced but having no one else to focus it on, much as he had done with Bates earlier.

"I don't know any more than what I've already told you, Sam! Pastor is dead and McGonagle is gone. They're searching for him now." Granger refused to be forced into moving backwards by the large ex-SEAL.

Callen put his hand on Sam's arm, trying to calm his partner down. He understood what Sam was feeling; he felt the same but knew being angry at Granger would get them nowhere. There was nothing about this that could be laid at the man's feet, in fact, he'd done nothing but his best in trying to find and then rescue their missing friend. When he felt Sam was somewhat under control he turned to Granger. "Sam's right about one thing. How did McGonagle get the drop on Pastor if he was handcuffed?"

"Franklin said the handcuffs were on the floor next to Pastor when he discovered his body. He also said there didn't appear to be any sign of a struggle."

"So this guy was able to get out of his handcuffs and kill an experienced LAPD SWAT member without him ever raising a hand to defend himself? How the hell is that possible?"

Granger and Callen stared at each other. Granger was the first to blink. "I'm starting to think he had outside help." Callen nodded his agreement; his eyebrows rising to indicate he felt there was even more going on. Following the agent's probable train of thought, Granger was beyond angry to think that one of their own might have had a hand in letting that sadistic bastard escape. He'd seen, up close and personal, exactly what had been done to the detective and no one who could do something like that to another living being should be allowed to walk free. If he had his way, the man would never see daylight again. He found himself hoping it would be because he was in a box in the ground. He was surprised at his own blood thirstiness. He'd expected it from them but not from himself. He wasn't sure when the members of Hetty's favorite team had become so important to him. The detective should have been, and had been at one time, an annoying, scruffy thorn in his side. He really couldn't pinpoint when that had changed. Callen's voice brought him out of his reverie, voicing what both of them were thinking.

"So someone managed to get into that building, avoided running into any of the cops, federal agents and forensic crew swarming all over it, killed Pastor, released McGonagle and got both of them back out without _anyone_ seeing them? I don't think so." Callen knew full well what he was suggesting and everyone else listening knew it too, especially Bates who had had a similar conversation with the two agents moments ago. Someone at the scene, someone from inside LAPD, NCIS or both, had to have assisted McGonagle in escaping. Cheryl and Talia exchanged a look, both grateful that they had not been at the scene when this had gone down. Having this team rip apart your life, looking for something to tie you to Deeks's abduction, would not be pleasant and they would be relentless.

"Beale, Jones! I want full background checks on all LAPD SWAT team members on scene today!" Granger looked at Bates whose eyebrows had risen. "Along with all NCIS agents and forensic team members." he added. Bates nodded at him. Not getting the instant response from the techies that he was used to, Granger turned to look at Eric and Nell, finding them sitting side by side, staring at the laptop that Agent Leary had brought in from the crime scene earlier. Eric was white and looked a little green around the edges. Nell was silently crying as both stared at the screen.

"Beale!" Eric jumped and slammed the laptop shut. "Would you care to tell me what the _hell_ is so interesting on that laptop?" Eric's eyes widened and flicked to Kensi, then back to Granger. Nell's mouth opened and closed a couple times, but no sound came out.

"Um, just a sad video." he finally squeaked out.

"About a dog." Said Nell, catching onto what Eric was trying to do.

"A video? About a dog?" Granger was stunned. He looked closer at Eric and narrowed his eyes. The analyst was up to something, he couldn't lie worth a damn. He wanted to know what they had found and he wanted to know now. Based on the reactions of the two geeks in front of him, he was sure it had to do with Deeks.

"We're combing through the laptop, trying to find anything that we can to help. We're going through each file, one by one. We don't know what's on a specific file until we open and watch it." Eric rambled on, his eyes now on Kensi.

Kensi opened her mouth to question them when Tara stuck her head in the door. Tara hesitated when she saw the knot of angry federal agents and cops, the tension in the room palpable. She almost backed out but really wanted to talk to Kensi before she had to head back out to the field with Randy. "Kensi?" she asked tentatively. Kensi turned to her and forced a smile. She knew there was something on that laptop that Eric and Nell didn't want her to know about. She knew them so well she could read the signs and didn't want to let them off the hook. However, she wanted to talk with Tara, to thank her again for saving Deeks's life. She looked at Nell, finding her innocent look suspicious and glared at her, letting her know that she wasn't going to let this go. When she was done with Tara, she would be back and Nell had better be prepared to tell her everything she wanted to know.

"Tara." She walked over and held out her hand. "I can't thank you enough for everything you did for Deeks." Her voice trembled. "I don't think he would've survived long enough to get here if it weren't for you."

Tara pulled her into a hug. "We both did it. He's strong, you know. He's going to pull through. I can't, and won't, believe anything else! He has an excellent surgical team working on him. They won't let him go without a fight." Kensi returned her hug. "Kensi, I have to go. I'm still on duty and Randy has restocked the rig so we're ready to roll. Craig is going to keep me updated on Marty's status. I'll come back once I've finished my shift, if that's okay with you?" Kensi nodded gratefully, wondering if her connection with this woman was simply because Tara had helped to save the life of the person most important in the world to her or if the woman was as nice as she seemed. She was still surprised that she could like one of Deeks's exes.

While Kensi was distracted by Tara, Granger focused on the two analysts. "You care to tell me exactly what that was all about? And don't lie to me!"

Keeping her eyes on Kensi, Nell hissed. "They videotaped it! Those _bastards_ videotaped everything they did to him!" her voice shaking with rage. Granger's eyebrows rose at the language coming from the little intelligence analyst sitting in front of him, something he wasn't used to hearing from her.

Eric added "It was brutal and we only got about a third of the way through!" He swallowed hard and whispered. "How did he survive all that? How is he even still alive?"

He paused and then continued. "There's something else you need to know. There was full audio on that file. Deeks never made a sound when he was being beaten and it looked like it frustrated the hell out of McGonagle. They did talk but we couldn't make out what they were saying on this laptop without flooding the room with the sound. We need to get it back to Ops to get access to better equipment and software."

His voice strengthened with conviction. "There's no way Kensi should see this! At least, not right now."

Hetty spoke up. "I agree wholeheartedly, Mr. Beale. Encrypt that file and put it on our secure server, eyes only. Then delete it from this laptop. Now." Eric immediately reopened the laptop and began doing as she requested. When he was done, he looked up and nodded. He was just in time as Kensi was coming back to the group, Tara having said her goodbyes and headed out.

"Nell? Eric? Do you want to tell me now what you were actually watching?" She stood in front of them, arms folded over her chest, staring them down, daring them to lie to her or avoid the question.

"Exactly what I said we were, Kens. Look at the laptop if you want." Eric went to hand her the laptop, feeling more confident now that the file was deleted from it and out of her reach. Kensi looked at him suspiciously but waved it off. She knew if he was offering, then whatever had been on there that they had been watching, was long gone.

Granger cleared his throat. "Can we get to those background checks now?"

Both Eric and Nell looked at him in confusion; they really hadn't heard the Assistant Director's earlier request. Granger sighed. "We need you to do complete background checks, including financials, on each of the LAPD SWAT team members, our NCIS agents on scene and the forensics crew. McGonagle didn't get out of there without help!"

Eric and Nell looked stunned at Granger's pronouncement, having missed the earlier conversations about a possible leak as they'd been too engrossed in the video, but then both snapped out of it and nodded, pulling out their encrypted tablets to begin their searches. Nell looked up. "Should we include Officer Pastor?" Granger hesitated and then nodded. The two analysts got to work, determined to uncover anything that would lead to McGonagle being recaptured and unmasking any traitors within LAPD or their own agency.

"What are you thinking, Owen? That Officer Pastor helped McGonagle and was then killed for his trouble?" asked Hetty. Everyone's eyes were on him as they waited to hear his reply.

Granger shrugged. "I don't plan on leaving any stone unturned, Henrietta. Anyone who was involved in what happened to Deeks, no matter how small their involvement, is going to pay." The anger and determination in his voice easy to hear.

Hetty had rarely seen Owen Granger like this before. He was hard to get close to, his gruff exterior and standoffish personality holding most people at bay. Deeks hadn't allowed that to deter him. In fact, she was pretty sure that he had taken it on as a challenge. She smiled at the memory of the detective hugging the Assistant Director in the bullpen, after Granger had gotten the Guzman's permission to stay in the states instead of being deported back to Mexico, where they would surely have been killed within hours. He had warned Granger about what he was planning to do but he really hadn't believed Deeks would follow through. When the detective's arms had gone around him, he hadn't known how to respond and had stood frozen in place. When he had finally and awkwardly returned the younger man's hug, Hetty almost hadn't been able believe her eyes. The smile left her face as she remembered that the man she was thinking of so fondly was in a fight for his life, his fate still unknown.

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A/N – next chapter will tell us how Deeks is doing! I hope….


	54. Chapter 54

A/N - this might be a little long winded and wordy, but it was what flowed from my (warped?) mind. I wondered about how each one of his friends was dealing with what had happened to him and this was the result. Thanks to honus47 for reviewing and supporting me! That support means the world to me!

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Chapter 54

It'd been a long three and a half hours since they had taken Deeks up to surgery. Craig had popped in a couple times, not that there was much for him to tell them. He could only confirm that Deeks was holding his own and that the doctors were doing everything possible. While it was nice to hear, Kensi was pretty sure the non-update updates were just an excuse to come in and chat with Talia for a few minutes. Each time he came in, Talia seemed a little more interested. Kensi intended to foster that interest as much as possible. While she knew that Talia had no chance with Deeks, it wouldn't hurt her peace of mind to know the beautiful DEA agent was involved with another man. Deeks. The thought of him filled her mind.

She got out of her chair and started pacing, again. This had become such a common occurrence in the hours they had been cooped up in this waiting room, that no one said a word. She knew they were all watching her, ready to step in with a shoulder to cry on or a kind word but, in the meantime, they just let her be and she was grateful. She would sit, staring at the door, waiting for someone to come in and tell them something, anything, official. When she couldn't stand the inactivity any more, she would get up and pace the room. When she tired of that, she would sit back down and begin the whole ritual all over. As she paced this time, she watched the rest of her friends and co-workers, wondering what was going through their minds as they waited. The other people in the room, waiting on their own loved owns, gave the large group, with the badges hanging from their belts, a wide berth.

Sam was sitting in a large chair, the only one in the room that would comfortably hold his large frame, his head back and eyes closed. If asked, she was sure he would say he was meditating but she knew him too well. The tension in his body was a sure fire giveaway that he was neither asleep nor meditating. His right arm held Michelle, who was wedged into his side, tightly against him, as if he was afraid to let her go. Michelle had her head resting on her husband's chest, also with her eyes closed but Kensi knew her friend was tracking her every move. It should have made her feel smothered, but instead it made her feel safe. Kensi resumed her pacing and found herself examining each grouping of the people waiting for word, watching their interactions.

Next up were the Shelton's. They were sitting on one of the available couches. John had his arm around Laura and was softly stroking her arm as she carded her hands through Meaghan's hair. The teenager had cried herself to sleep in her mother's lap and was now snoring softly, her long legs hanging over the arm of the couch. Laura looked up at her as she passed; the signs of tears on her face as well. Kensi thought again about how close she and Deeks had become, knowing it had something to do with their pasts and that it had created a strong bond. She knew, now, what had gone on in Deeks's childhood after their fight and his flight to Santa Barbara but she still didn't know the particulars of what Laura's story was and Deeks wouldn't share that confidence.

Laura watched Kensi pace by again and then settled back into her own thoughts. She was worried sick about losing her little brother once again, Deeks having replaced Perry once and for all in that role. The last time he had been in the hospital she had also worried, but this time was different, this time he really may not make it. She knew he cared about them too, but she hadn't told him exactly what he meant to her yet. She intended to remedy that the first chance she got. Her thoughts went to a dark place where she never got that chance and her hand stilled on Meaghan's hair, the tears starting again. Meaghan whimpered in her sleep and Laura began stroking her again, the whimpering stopping. John's hand tightened on her arm, instinctively knowing what she was thinking. She smiled a little through her tears, knowing that her husband would not have been as aware of her emotions, if he'd even been in the state at all, before these people had invaded their lives. Her old, tired marriage had woken up and gotten a second wind. John was more attentive and did everything possible to do his job here at home. Only when he had no choice would he go away and even then, he called her every chance he got just to tell her he loved her. The house in Santa Barbara had certainly made up for its prior years of disuse. She leaned harder into him, letting him know she appreciated his presence and support. John leaned down and kissed her on the top of her head. She looked up and he wiped away her tears with his thumb, giving her a soft kiss on the lips that she returned.

He, too, was amazed at how different their lives had become. He didn't think he could ever go back to the way things used to be. His wife had become something more than a bored socialite, someone he was proud of, someone who lit up his whole life once more and the daughter he remembered from her childhood was back. Gone was the sullen, surly teenager and in her place was a confident, sunny, loving young woman. He knew a large part of that transformation was due to Marty and Kensi being in their lives. He felt his own heart stutter a little at the thought that the man he had so easily dismissed when they first met; might not make it. This time it was Laura who saw where he was going and comforted him. Kensi realized neither of them was aware of her any longer.

Looking away from the loving couple, feeling envy she wasn't proud of; she noticed that Agent Leary and Neal were standing quite close to each other. Neal had been on his day off and unreachable when Deeks had gone missing. When he had finally responded to the Shelton's frantic calls, Deeks was already in surgery and he had come as soon as possible. Apparently Cheryl had worked some cases in England and the two had hit it off, talking about places they both knew in his home country. Kensi shook her head, wondering why it felt that everyone was finding someone during one of the most hellish days of her life.

She paced on, her eyes lighting on Eric and Nell. The two analysts had been working nonstop on their tablets, digging into the background and financials of everyone involved in the rescue. Trying to uncover something that might lead them to whoever had helped McGonagle escape. She couldn't help but notice how close the two of them sat, most of their lower bodies completely touching. When Deeks was better, the two of them were going to confront these two. She was pretty sure Deeks wouldn't be above using his near brush with death to guilt them into admitting there was something more going on. She smirked a little, already picturing the scene in her head, her Deeks using his puppy dog eyes on the two unsuspecting geeks. Her breath hitched as she realized it might never happen.

She turned away and found her eyes on Cindy and Chris. L.C. was sound asleep on his daddy's chest and Chris was rubbing light circles on his back, his other arm around Cindy who looked to be asleep on his shoulder. She knew from talking to Cindy recently, that L.C. was teething and neither was getting much sleep. The sight of the little family unit set up a longing in Kensi that was so intense that she almost gasped. Not now, but soon enough, she was determined that it would be Deeks holding their child like Chris was. She knew he would be a great dad and her prior worries about having a child, anyone's child, had washed away since they had opened up to each other. Her interactions with L.C. and Sam's Kamran had proven her wrong about her abilities with children. She didn't think she would ever have the instant connection Deeks always seemed to find with a child, but she was now sure she could hold her own. Watching them should have made her feel sad, worried that the future she was thinking about was in jeopardy, instead it gave her hope. She smiled gently at Chris when he looked up and he returned it in full force.

Moving on she eyed Lt. Bates, Hetty and Granger, who were sitting at the only table in the room, talking quietly and intensely. Officer Wolinksy standing behind them, listening intently. She knew they were rehashing everything that had happened, filling in Bates on the things that he had missed, talking strategy for finding McGonagle and Robinson. They had heard from Agent Franklin that Robinson's was not one of the bodies at the plant. That meant both of them had escaped and were most likely together. Normally she would not want to be left out of this discussion, as would none of her teammates. Yet not one of them seemed inclined to butt into the impromptu meeting going on in the corner.

She turned to Cassie and Paula, sitting on a couch together, holding hands and softly talking with Talia. She wondered what they were talking about. Sharing stories about Deeks? Girl talk? Talia seemed to be fitting right in with their friends and she found that didn't bother her as much as she would have expected. She and Talia had cleared the air between them and she thought they wouldn't have as many problems in the future. She was pacing past them when Cassie's phone pinged her about another incoming text. She had been getting them almost non-stop since she had informed her boss about what had happened and asked for the night off, instantly given.

Cassie looked up and grimaced at Kensi. "It's Barry again. He's about ready to shut down the club for the night and head over here if we don't give him more frequent updates on Marty. I've tried to explain I don't have anything to share, but he says everyone's bugging him. The word has even gotten out to some of our customers and they've shown up to ask about him, even though the club hasn't opened for the evening yet." She and Kensi shared a small smile, one that didn't reach either of their eyes.

Looking at the two women whose wedding she had enjoyed such a short time ago, Kensi drifted into a memory. The night of the wedding, after the couple had left for their honeymoon, everyone had stayed at the bar until it closed, dancing, drinking and thoroughly enjoying themselves. When they'd finally gotten back to the room, Deeks had placed the do not disturb sign on their door and had turned slowly to her.

He had been so damned handsome in that damn tux that it had taken away her ability to think. She had watched him stalk towards her and had held her breath. When he had reached her, he had done what he had wanted to do all night. He reached up and slowly pulled the pins from her hair, one by one, watching with hooded eyes as her hair fell down to her shoulders. She had shivered at the look in his eyes, feeling the heat start in her belly, wanting him as much, if not more, than ever. He had paused and lifted the weight of her hair off her shoulders, leaning forward to plant a warm kiss on her neck. She had moaned and turned into him, capturing his lips with hers, feeling his hands slowly start undoing the fastenings on her bridesmaid dress as he, once again, relieved her of it.

She snapped out of the memory, remembering where she was, hoping no one would question her rapid breathing or flushed skin. She was relieved when the door opened again and all eyes turned to it. Tara walked in with a tall handsome brunette Kensi assumed was her fiancé. She turned out to be correct when Tara came up, gave her a hug and introduced them. "Dave, this is Kensi. She's the one Marty talks about all the time! She helped me save his life today. Kensi, this is my fiancé, Dave Andrews."

Kensi put her hand out to Dave but was instead engulfed in a huge hug. She returned it, feeling the comfort it was meant to give. He pushed her away a little and then grinned "You are every bit as beautiful as Marty said! I thought for sure he was exaggerating! After all, what would a beautiful woman be doing with that goofball?" Kensi would've taken offense at his words but she heard the affection and worry in the man's voice.

She leaned back in his arms and replied "Tara said you were an accountant? That can't be right! Where are your glasses and pocket protector?"

He chuckled at her and said "I knew I would like you from Tara's description!" His laughter faded and his face turned serious. "How is he? Craig has been keeping Tara updated on his status but it's always the same. He's alive and they're working on him."

Kensi sighed. "You know as much as we do." She looked down at her watch, realizing another hour had passed. "They've been working on him for almost four and half hours now. I have to believe that's a good sign! If they hadn't been able to save him, it would have been over long ago."

Dave nodded and he and Tara wandered off to talk to Cassie and Paula. It was obvious that they knew each other and she suspected they had met through Deeks at some point in time. Kensi turned to watch the last two in the group. Callen was sitting on the floor, his knees drawn up and his hands resting on them. Joelle sat by his side. She had come as soon as she was able to get a substitute for her class and was trying hard to comfort the man she was already in love with. It was hard though, this was new to her. She knew that their jobs were dangerous and that this was always a possibility but she felt something was different about this situation and Callen wasn't sharing. She looked up when Kensi approached and patted Callen's arm. She had a feeling that her friend would be better able to find out what was going on in the man's mind. She got up off the floor, gave Kensi a quick hug and said "I'm going to get a coffee. Do you want one?"

Kensi returned the hug and nodded yes. She knew Joelle was leaving to give her some time alone with Callen. She and her boss needed to have a talk. As Joelle asked around who else might want coffee or a snack, Kensi leaned back against the wall and slid down next to Callen, resting her head on his shoulder. She didn't say anything, waiting for him to acknowledge her. She didn't have long to wait.

"I'm so sorry Kensi. This is all my fault."

"How is this all your fault, Callen? There's only one whose fault it is and that's McGonagle. He's the one you should focus on."

"You were right. If I hadn't been so stubborn, if I had listened to Deeks's instincts, he wouldn't be up in surgery fighting for his life. He'd be back at the Mission, coming up with some new way to annoy Sam."

Kensi paused and tried to put into words something that had been floating around her mind for the last few hours. "I'm not so sure that would have been for the best, Callen."

Callen turned and looked at her in stunned surprise. "What the hell do you mean by that?" his voice rising.

"Calm down and listen to me. I want you to answer me with your first gut instinct. If we had gone in the front and you guys had gone in the back, would one of us have been the one taken or would it have looked like the other two? Just a hoax."

Callen thought about it and said "It would've been uneventful and we would've thought it another useless raid."

"Do you think they would've given up after that? Knowing now that Timmons and Parks were behind this?"

"No. No, I don't think that at all. I think Timmons is so obsessed with Deeks that he would never give up. We still don't know what the connection between Timmons and Parks is, but it seems that whatever Timmons wants, Parks is going to give him."

"So, if this had continued, do you think they would have done another warehouse call? I don't! I think next time it might have been a full on assault and someone else would've gotten hurt. It might have been one of us or an innocent bystander. Maybe even someone like Joelle or Kamran. Someone they had to remove to get to Deeks."

Callen nodded slowly, still not sure where she was going with this. Kensi continued. "In that case, knowing how careful and ruthless these guys are, do you think we would have gotten the break we did with the fingerprint? Do you think we would have gotten the FBI to take an interest if we hadn't been able to definitively say Robinson was involved? If we hadn't been able to get the FBI involved, do you think we could have gotten the same intel Cheryl did so quickly? The intel that led us to that damn packing plant? And if we hadn't, do you think we would have been able to get to him in time before he….before he…" Kensi wasn't able to finish that thought.

Callen looked at her in astonishment. The junior agent had just calmly and carefully, constructed a reason why this had been the best way for this to go down and he found himself agreeing with her. He said "I'm so proud of you Kens. I was so busy wallowing in my own guilt that I never thought to put that spin on it. You're right. If they had taken him from somewhere else, we might never have been able to find him. We'll never know for sure, but it's definitely a possibility and we have to live with the decisions we made and the hand we've been dealt. The only thing that matters now is that Marty survives this and we bring down all of them. McGonagle, Robinson, Timmons, Parks and anyone who helped them!"

Kensi carefully noted their boss's use of Deeks's first name and filed it away with all the other things she planned to tell him when he was better. She opened her mouth to talk some more when the door opened again. She looked up expecting it to be Joelle returning but instead her mother walked through it. "Mom!" She exploded off the floor and ran into her mother's arms. Julia wrapped her arms around her daughter and Kensi completely broke down for the first time that day. The intensity of her sobbing caused Julia to wonder if she was too late and the love of her daughter's life was dead.

"Is he..is he?" she stumbled over her words, not able to ask if he was dead. A vision of the vibrant, goofy, intelligent young man she hoped to welcome into her family, played in her head.

"No, mom, no! He's still alive. He's still in surgery and that's all we know." Kensi sniffled as she reassured her mom and then burrowed her head further into her mom's shoulder, seeking the comfort only a mother can give. Julia rubbed her back and whispered over and over that it would be okay; knowing that however this turned out, her daughter was strong and would survive it, with the help of her friends and family. They stood there for what seemed like hours, Kensi sniffling and Julia rocking her, when the door opened again and a tired looking doctor entered.

"Family of Martin Deeks?"


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 55

" _Family of Martin Deeks?"_

The doctor took a step backwards as close to two dozen people converged on her, most wearing badges from several different law enforcement agencies. Sam and Callen moved up to stand behind Kensi, each placing a supportive hand on her shoulder. Michelle stood at Sam's side, her hand gripped in his. Joelle moved up next to Callen and took his hand in hers. He didn't look at her, keeping his full attention on the woman who was about to tell them about Deeks, but squeezed her hand in appreciation.

The doctor cleared her throat and took a moment to overcome her surprise at the sheer number of people waiting on this one man's prognosis. The door opened behind her and Craig skidded into the room. "I'm sorry! She slipped past me. I wanted to be here when you got the good news!" The doctor frowned warningly at him and he realized that he had most likely given the group in front of them an unrealistic idea of their friend's condition. He blushed and looked away, his eyes finding Talia's. He gave her a small smile. In his mind, the fact that the man was still alive _was_ good news. She smiled at him in return and then refocused her attention on the doctor.

The woman cleared her throat again and said tiredly "I'm Doctor Moira Shaugnessy. I operated on Mr. Deeks. He's out of surgery but in critical condition. The next 24-48 hours are going to tell us whether he'll survive this or not. He has three broken ribs, one of which punctured his left lung. We were able to repair it and stabilize the ribs. Four others are fractured. He was bleeding internally and when we repaired the bleeder, the internal bleeding didn't stop. It took us awhile to find and repair a second bleeder." The doctor stopped and took a deep breath, remembering the condition of the young man she had operated on. She had seem a lot of carnage in her years as a surgeon, car accidents, gang wars, drug deals gone bad, but the damage that was done to her patient had been deliberate and planned, something she had no frame of reference for.

"His back and the backs of his thighs and calves are covered in welts that could only be caused by some kind of whip and his whole torso is covered in bruises. I don't think there is an inch without one. We counted 17 knife wounds; some were shallow enough that we could just bandage them, the others were deeper and required sutures as did a number of the welts. I can't even give you a count of the number of stitches we put into him. It looks like he was beaten with some rounded object after he was cut and whipped. The pain must have been excruciating."

Michelle could feel Sam's hand tightening on hers with every word the doctor used to describe what was done to Deeks. His hand fell off Kensi's shoulder and clenched at his side. Michelle looked up at him and saw that his eyes were out of focus. "Sam?" When he didn't answer she said louder "Sam!"

Sam didn't hear her. He was back in that garage, tied to a chair, his whole body in pain from the electrocutions they had subjected him to, trying to get him to give up Michelle as a federal agent. He watched as they put a spreader into Deeks's mouth and then they closed the door between them. He could only see a portion of what was going on through the wavy glass, but he could hear. God, could he hear. He heard the whirr of the drill, the difference in the sound it made as it bit into Deeks's teeth, the sound of his screams.

He tightened his hand on Michelle's to a point where she cried out in pain. "Sam, you're hurting me! Callen, I think he's having a flashback!"

Callen moved to stand in front of his partner. "Sam! Look at me!" When he didn't respond, Callen said again. "Sam, look at me. You're safe, Deeks is safe and he's going to recover, you know he's too stubborn to do otherwise. Sam, look at me." He kept repeating Sam's name until the man's eyes came back into focus. He looked a little confused at first and then embarrassed. He'd had flashbacks before and had seen them in others, he knew what he had just experienced and that it had been triggered by the descriptions of Deeks's torture. He dropped Michelle's hand so he could rub his face with both of his.

Michelle sighed in relief and started to shake her hand, trying to get the feeling back and to relieve some of the pain. When Sam saw what she was doing he was horrified, knowing he was the cause of the pained expression on her face. "Michelle, baby! I'm so sorry! You know I would never hurt you deliberately. I didn't know I was squeezing that hard."

Michelle knew he was just about devastated by what he'd done, even though he'd really had no control over it. She smirked at him and said "Now I know what you meant after you held my hand during Aiden and Kamran's births. If I hurt you like you just hurt me, then I take back every word I said about you being a wuss."

Sam huffed out a relieved laugh and pulled her into his arms for a quick hug. When she stepped back he said "Let's just consider us even then. Ok?" Michelle nodded and held out the same hand to him. He hesitated and then took it gently; turning back to the doctor, only then realizing all eyes in the room were on him. "I'm so sorry. Please continue Dr. Shaugnessy, it won't happen again."

Moira nodded at him in sympathy. She had seen plenty of veterans, and others, experience a flashback and she knew they could be crippling. The others with him had reacted well, obviously experienced in dealing with this kind of thing. Some thought slapping the person across the face was a good idea when, in fact, it was one of the worst things you could do. She shook her head a little, bringing herself back to the report she was giving her patient's friends.

"It's quite all right; it's never easy to hear these kinds of things about a friend."

Sam said "He's family." The others surrounding him nodded.

"Even harder then. Craig told me that you rescued him from an abandoned meat packing plant?"

When Sam nodded, she shook her head. "I can't even begin to think about the germs and bacteria swarming around that kind of place. That explains the level of infection. Several of the welts and knife wounds are infected. We have him on a high dosage of antibiotics but he's running a fever because of it. In addition, both his shoulders were dislocated. Luckily we were able to do a closed reduction and used traction, counter traction to get the humeral heads back to their normal positions. He's in ICU and intubated. We want his lung to focus on healing so we'll use a ventilator to help him breathe for the next few days. Between the ventilator and the fact that there is not a single position he would be able to rest comfortably in, we want to keep him sedated for the next few days as well. I'm sorry I don't have better news but you should take comfort in the fact that he's still alive. He's one hell of a fighter."

Kensi asked what was on all their minds "Can we see him?"

Moira shook her head. "I'm sorry. Between the infection, the fever and how critical the next hours are going to be, I can't allow that. There is a viewing window in ICU. You can see him for yourself through that. Craig will take you. I can only allow two or three at a time; too many would be disruptive to the unit. Please decide who is going to go when and let him know."

She started to walk away and then turned back. "Did you get the animal that did this to him?"

Callen took a deep breath. "No, not yet. But we know who he is and none of us will stop until he's in custody. No matter how long it takes." His words sounded like a vow to Moira.

"Good. I hope you find him and I hope you hurt him when you do. Just don't bring him to my hospital for treatment." With that Moira walked out the door.

Craig was stunned. "If I hadn't heard that with my own ears, I would never have believed it."

Talia had come up beside him, finding herself wanting to be close to him and asked. "Why wouldn't you have believed it?"

"Dr. Shaughnessy is a pacifist. All the things we see here each day, the shootings, the beatings, the stupidity of one human hurting another for no good reason. In each case she tries to see the good in them. I've never heard her describe another person as an animal or wish harm on anyone. This case has really gotten to her."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, Deeks tends to do that to people, even unconscious."

Craig laughed a little at Sam's words and then sobered. "So, who wants to be first?" Everyone in the room raised their hands. "Ok, we are going to need a system here. You heard Dr. S. Only two or three at a time. It's up to you who goes when."

Hetty stepped forward and took charge. "I think it only appropriate that Miss. Blye, Mr. Callen and Mr. Hanna go first. They're his team and need to see him as soon as possible. While they're gone, I'll split everyone else up into groups and we will all take turns seeing our Mr. Deeks."

Sam, Callen and Kensi followed Craig out of the waiting room. Hetty turned to the remaining people and started to break them up into logical groups. Wolinsky, Granger and Bates would be the next group to go when Deeks's team returned. Hetty, Eric and Nell would then take their turn. John, Laura and Meaghan would be up next. Both her parents tried to talk the teenager out of going, not wanting her to see Marty like this but she was adamant that she had to see for herself that he was alive. They gave in, understanding her need for visual proof. Cindy and Chris would go together; the others would watch L.C. while they were gone. Michelle, Joelle and Julia would make up the next group. Cassie, Paula and Talia after them. Tara and Dave would follow. Neal and Cheryl, who surprisingly wanted to see Deeks as well, even though she had never actually met him, would make up the last group. Satisfied that they all knew their assigned groupings and would be ready to go when the prior group returned, they settled in to wait their turn, relief that he had made it through surgery rampant in the room, despite the doctor's warning that he was still critical. One obstacle had been overcome.

Kensi, Sam and Callen followed Craig into the elevator and he pushed the button for the fifth floor where ICU was located. He turned and started to warn them. "Look, this is not going to be pretty. He's in bad shape but remember that he's still alive and fighting. Have you ever seen anyone on a ventilator?"

He wasn't sure if he was surprised or not when all three nodded affirmatively. "Then you know it can look intimidating but it's there to help him. I know I've said this before but I mean it. The doctors and nurses at this hospital are top notch and we'll do everything in our power to make sure he survives this."

Kensi nodded and said "Thank you, Craig. For everything. For the updates, for wanting to be there when the doctor gave us her report, for being the one to escort us to see him." She frowned as something came to mind. "How long a shift do you work? We've been here for hours and you were already here when we arrived."

Craig blushed a little and responded "Actually, I've been off duty for a couple hours. I didn't want to go home until I knew if he was going to make it through the surgery. I also told Dr. S. I'd like to be the one to take you all to see him."

Kensi smiled and pulled him into a quick hug, surprising him. He hugged her back and when he stepped away said "I'm glad he made it through. It looks like he has a lot to live for. I know if I was him and had all those people waiting for me, I would fight like hell to stay here. I think that's what he's going to do." He cleared his throat a little and looked away from the people standing in the elevator with him, not looking anyone in the eye. "So. What's his relationship to Talia?"

Sam and Callen exchanged a look and tried hard not to grin. They stayed silent, waiting for Kensi to field that question, which she did. "They're friends and colleagues. She feels a little more for him than he does for her." She eyed him carefully. "I watched her with you. I think she's interested."

Craig finally met her eyes and looked hopeful. "Do you think she'd go out with me if I ever work up the nerve to ask?"

"I do. You're a very good looking man Craig. I'm sure you've dated more than your fair share of women. Why would you have to work up the nerve to ask her out?" Kensi was curious to hear the answer.

"She's a fed. She's hot, she's probably dangerous and, I think, a little out of my league." He confessed.

"Nonsense, ask her out. The worst she can do is say no. It's not like she's going to shoot you for the compliment of wanting to spend time with her. She's a wonderful person; I think the two of you would be great together!"

Sam and Callen both raised their eyebrows, thinking Kensi was laying it on a bit thick. They knew that Talia had feelings for Deeks and that Kensi could be insanely jealous about any woman who got close to him. Their little sister was trying to distract the competition. Not that there was any real competition. They both knew Kensi was the only one for Deeks, but it was amusing to watch her. When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, all of them became serious, trying to prepare themselves for what they were about to see.

Craig, Callen and Sam stepped off but Kensi froze. When they turned back to her in confusion, she whispered "I'm not sure if I can do this. I'm not sure I'm ready to see what they did to him again."

"You're stronger than that, Kensi. You know you can do this. You need to be there for him. He would do it for you." Sam held out his hand to her. She hesitated, then nodded and put hers into it, grateful for her teammate's support. Together they walked into the ICU unit with Craig and walked up to the viewing window he pointed out to them.

All of them struggled with their emotions when they finally saw him. He looked worse than he had at the plant. While he was no longer covered in blood, it now made it easier to fully see the damage inflicted on him. New bruises seemed to be appearing and existing ones darkening, right before their eyes. The sounds of the machines he was hooked up to were all too familiar in the quiet of the ICU.

Kensi turned to Callen. "I want McGonagle, Callen! When we find him, he's mine, do you understand me?" she said fiercely.

"I get it Kens, but you need to stay focused on Deeks right now. Let us do the legwork of finding him and then you can be there when we take him down." Callen knew full well what she was feeling. He had felt the same when Sam had been tortured and again when he was shot by the rogue Ghurkas. And Sam was just his partner and best friend. Deeks was all that and so much more than that to Kensi. He knew the need for revenge could be overwhelming and he wouldn't stand in her way. "We will get him, I promise you that. If we have to track him to the ends of the earth, we _will_ find him and he will pay for this."

Kensi just nodded and turned back to watch her love fight for his life. He'd get through this, with everyone's help. He was strong and he would fight.

In the darkened room, Deeks started to awaken despite the drugs in his system. He didn't know where he was; just that he felt trapped and had to get out of here. He felt like he was burning up. He started to move but couldn't lift his arms. He was having trouble breathing but when he tried to open his mouth to suck in more air, there was something preventing him. He touched the hard plastic with his tongue and his panic went through the roof, his heart pounding in fear and confusion. The alarms on the heart monitor went off and nurses charged into his room, Craig close on their heels. One of them closed the curtain around him, cutting his team off from seeing what was happening.

Kensi had splayed her hands on the glass when the machines had started to sound their concern. When they shut the curtain she yelled "No! No, you can't do that! I need to know what's going on!" She formed one hand into a fist and raised it to hit on the glass. Sam grabbed her fist before she could.

"Kensi! You need to let them concentrate on helping him! Pounding on the glass isn't going to help anyone."

"He made it through what McGonagle did to him! He made it through the surgery! He can't die now, he can't, Sam. I don't know what I'll do if he does."

Sam couldn't tell her he'd be okay. He just wasn't sure and didn't want to lie to her. The sounds coming from the ICU room where Deeks was hidden behind the curtain were making his own heart pound. They heard footsteps behind them and turned to see Dr. Shaughnessy running towards them. The woman didn't even acknowledge them, her whole attention focused on getting to her patient.

Forgotten, the three NCIS agents stood outside Deeks's room and waited. They heard the doctor and nurses talking but couldn't make out the words through the glass. Suddenly the heart monitor started to drone out a long steady note that indicated his heart had stopped beating. Kensi sagged in Sam's arms as they waited to hear what else fate had in store for him.

~,~,~,~

A/N – thanks to OhBuddy66 for the suggestion on Sam's reaction to the descriptions on what was done to Deeks. I've never had something happen to me, or to anyone close to me, that would trigger a flashback and, for that, I'm grateful. I hope I did it justice but I have no personal experience to base it on.


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56

A few moments later, the heart monitor started beeping out a normal rhythm and they took comfort from that. When the doctor finally came out, she saw them for the first time and smiled tiredly. "Your friend certainly likes to make things interesting." Craig, coming out behind her, nodded his head in agreement.

"You have _no_ idea Doc." responded Sam. He swallowed hard. "How is he?"

"The same. He apparently has a high tolerance to the sedative we gave him and started to wake up in spite of it. Waking up to find yourself intubated can cause severe panic and that's what happened with him. His heart rate increased and caused the monitor to alert us. We've given him more of the sedative and he's back under. It doesn't appear that he did any additional damage to himself. We'll be monitoring his level of consciousness more carefully from now on."

"But we heard the heart monitor flat line. Did…did his heart stop again?" Kensi asked, not wanting the doctor to gloss over anything.

"I'm so sorry you heard that! Mr. Deeks somehow managed to disconnect the monitor and it registered as a flat line. His heart never stopped."

All three of them sighed in relief. Kensi smiled at the doctor. "I know what Deeks would say. He'd ask you to call him Marty or Deeks. For some reason, the only one he tolerates Mr. Deeks from is our boss."

Moira laughed and held out her hand. "I'll keep that in mind. I'm Moira."

Each of them shook her hand and introduced themselves, taking the opportunity to thank her for her efforts on Deeks's behalf. She raised an eyebrow when Callen gave her his name. He just shrugged and said "Long story."

Introductions over, Moira took her leave, she had other patients to see and told them she would be back to check on him later. The three turned back to the window and watched their friend quietly sleep. When Craig came back and reminded them that others were waiting to see him, they reluctantly followed him back to the elevator, Kensi looking back over her shoulder, wanting to see him for as long as possible. She was now convinced that he was going to make it. He wouldn't dare die on her now.

The next group was impatiently waiting their turn to see Deeks for themselves and was already out the door before Kensi, Sam and Callen made it all the way in, Craig leading them away. The remaining people surrounded the NCIS agents, asking how he looked, how he was. Sam expected Kensi to be the one to tell them what had happened but when she didn't respond, seemingly lost in thought, he filled everyone in on the events that had just happened and how Deeks was. His description of how the detective looked sobered everyone in the room. He warned them that seeing it in person was so much worse than hearing the doctor's descriptions.

On the fifth floor, Stan, Granger and Bates got their first look at the injured man. Stan felt sick to his stomach as he watched the ventilator breathe for his friend. He chanced a look at the stranger who was with them, knowing that he worked with Deeks on a daily basis. The anger on the man's face made him take a step closer to his lieutenant. He was glad the anger was not directed at him. He turned back to the window and kept his thoughts to himself. If he had known the direction Granger's thoughts had taken, he might have increased his distance from the man even further. Granger stood silently and catalogued every bruise, every stitch, and every bandage on the silent man in the hospital bed. This was not a Deeks he was used to seeing. The man was usually a study of constant motion and sound, something that used to drive Granger insane but somewhere along the line he had gotten used to it and now he found he missed it. He would give just about anything to experience that right now. He found himself praying for the first time in a long time. Not only that the man would make it but for forgiveness for what he planned to do to the man who had done this. That they would find McGonagle was not even a question in his mind.

Beside him, Bates was having a hard time breathing. He had seen too many of his men hurt or killed on the job over the years, both in the service and at LAPD, but this? This was vicious and beyond disturbing. He had no idea just how close his thoughts were to that of the silent NCIS Assistant Director standing next to him. Finally able to take a deep breath, he shook his head and voiced what the others were thinking. "Damn, kid. What the hell did that psychopath do to you? I make you this promise. He _will_ pay for this!"

Granger spoke for the first time. "And then some." His naturally low and gravelly voice made Stan shiver a little. When Craig indicated it was time to go, it was a silent and thoughtful group who rode the elevator back down. When Granger walked through the door, he locked eyes with Hetty and shook his head slightly. Hetty closed her eyes and centered herself, preparing to join the next group to visit him. When she opened them, she found Nell and Eric had stepped closer to her. She wasn't sure if they were looking for support from her or were trying to be the ones supporting. She only knew that she felt stronger with them there. Together they followed Craig to the elevator, none of them speaking.

Nell grabbed Eric's hand as they approached the window, he squeezed it and didn't let go, neither one caring what Hetty might think. Both of them had seen some of what had been done to Deeks on that video but it still didn't prepare them for the sight in front of them. Nell let out a small moan and began to cry, turning into Eric's chest, his arms going around her. She could feel him shaking and knew that he was just as affected by the sight of what had been done to their friend. Beside them, Hetty felt all her hard won calm desert her and her chin quivered. They had almost lost the detective she had become so fond of. They still could. The next hours would tell the tale. She used every trick she had ever learned to stop herself from bolting. She was Hetty Lange. Hetty Lange did _not_ run away from anything. She heard someone say "Oh Marty." in a sad voice and was surprised when she realized the voice was her own. She turned to the two with her and took in the sight of them in each other's arms, looking so natural that way. For some reason, that sight brought back her calm. She turned back to the window. He would make it; she refused to entertain the thought of any other outcome. They stayed that way until Craig gently led them away.

When John saw the tear tracks on Nell's face, the shell shocked look on Eric's and the sadness on Hetty's, he made one last effort to talk Meaghan, and even Laura, out of going up. Neither one of the strong willed women in his life would listen; both determined to see him in spite of what they'd been told. He sighed and realized he was fighting a losing battle. All he could do was follow them from the room and be there for them. They stood as a unit in front of the glass. He felt Meaghan's hand slip into his and looking down, saw that she was also holding Laura's, connecting the three of them. His daughter was staring through the glass but appeared to be holding up better than he'd expected. He found himself impressed at her strength and now knew it had been the right decision for her to come up here with them. His teenage daughter had a vivid imagination and would have imagined things even worse that what they were seeing, not that he, himself, could imagine much worse. He looked over at his wife and saw one lone tear slide down her face. Speaking softly he said "He isn't Perry, Laura. He'll fight with everything in him to stay with us. He's strong and he's determined. We've seen it before."

Laura looked at him and smiled. "I know. As much as I loved Perry, he was nowhere near as strong as Marty. I refuse to believe I will lose another brother." John reached across Meaghan and stroked his wife's face. She leaned into his hand and sighed softly. "It's going to be a long fight but he will make it, I really do believe that."

"He wouldn't dare to _not_ fight! Kensi would kick his ass!" added Meaghan, her voice calm and sure. Her parents looked at her in surprise and John huffed out a soft laugh at her words. While he worried that she was setting herself up for a huge fall, he was proud of the woman his daughter was turning into. Turning back to the glass, the family held onto each other and their belief in the man in the bed. When Craig told them it was time to go, each reached out and placed a hand on the glass, silently saying their goodbyes and well wishes.

The sight of the three returning to the waiting room, none of them in distress, gave Cindy the courage to go with Chris and Craig for their turn. Before leaving, she turned back and watched her young son, held in the arms of Michelle, Sam standing beside her. She had almost decided against going to see the man who meant so much to them, the man her son was named after. She wasn't sure she was strong enough to see him like this but now she was determined to give him her love and support. She took Chris's hand and followed Craig out the door. The elevator ride seemed to take forever and she found herself starting to lose her belief that she could do this. Ever in tune with her, Chris squeezed her hand and said "You can do this Cin. You know he would do it for either of us." She nodded and held onto his hand like it was a lifeline. Exiting the elevator, her feet led her to the glass, seemingly of their own volition. She knew her mind was not directing them; it was too focused on what she was seeing through the glass. She was stunned at how he looked even though she had been warned. She just hadn't been capable of believing one human being could do that to another. She chanced a look at Chris's face and was surprised to see it was completely blank. She knew Marty and he had a strong connection through their music, something she couldn't share. She had expected him to rage or cry, but this blankness scared her.

"Chris?" When he didn't respond, she reached up and turned his head to face her. "Chris? Where are you?"

He blinked a couple times and came back to her. Whispering he said "I didn't want to believe it. I wanted to believe that they were exaggerating. I've never seen anyone in such bad shape. I don't want to lose him. He means so much to me, to us!"

She now found herself being the strong one. "We aren't going to lose him. You have to believe that and hold onto it! We'll be there for him every step of the way. He has a lot to live for. He'll get to have his happy ending, just like us."

He smiled at her, thinking of how their roles had reversed. He had been the strong one when they had started making their way up here, now she was being the strong one. Something he could never convince her she was capable of. Together they stood and watched their friend fight for his life. Neither argued when Craig told them it was time to go. Cindy turned back just before entering the elevator and threw him a kiss.


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Michelle, Julia and Joelle took their turn. Michelle remembering being in Kensi's shoes, waiting to see if the love of her life would make it through surgery when he'd been shot not so long ago. Her man had made it through and she was convinced Marty would too. If he didn't, then it would make her worry about Sam even more the next time he was hurt. She knew what they did was dangerous and they couldn't think about one of them not making it home, it would make it impossible for them to do their jobs, but the reality was that it was a possibility each time they walked out the door. She watched his chest rise and fall, finding comfort in the steady beeping of the monitor.

Julia had been here. She had lost the love of her life, first to the job, then to a man trying to cover up his own wrongdoings. She looked through the glass at the man who held the place in her daughter's life that Don had held in hers and knew she would have to be strong for her daughter if the lovable young man didn't survive his injuries. She wouldn't let her daughter shut her out again. She would be there for her no matter how hard Kensi tried to say she didn't need her. When, not if, Marty was awake and well enough, she was going to have a talk with him about his and Kensi's future. These two belonged together and she wanted to let him know that she approved. She was pretty sure he already knew but she had never said the actual words to him. Her mind wandered as she pictured a small girl with Marty's blue eyes and Kensi's beautiful dark hair. Any child these two people she loved most in this world created, would be loved and cherished beyond anything. She prayed they would get that chance.

Joelle wasn't sure how to react, what to think. She and Marty weren't as close as she and Kensi but she knew how important he was to Callen and she genuinely liked him. She shrank back from the glass a little, wondering if she would be able to deal with this if it were Callen lying in that bed. She had known in her head that his job could take him away from her forever but now she was dealing with the reality of it in the form of the silent detective. She was a schoolteacher, she read the newspapers, watched the news but it was all happening to people she didn't know. This was too close to home. She started to feel faint and swayed a little. She wasn't surprised when both Michelle and Julia put their arms around her waist, giving her strength. She looked at both and saw the understanding in their eyes. One had lost; the other had to live with the fear of it each and every day. She knew if something happened to Callen they, along with Kensi and Nell, would be there for her. She needed to be there for them now. She smiled at them tentatively, trying to emulate their strength. The two smiled back at her and then turned back to watch Marty, knowing that every minute that passed, brought him closer to surviving this brutal attack.

When Craig came back to tell them it was time to go, Michelle joked a little with him as they walked to the elevator, asking "Did you think you would end today playing usher and elevator operator, taking people back and forth between ICU and the waiting room?"

He smiled at her as they entered the elevator. "No, not really what I had planned for tonight but I'm glad I can help in some way. Some of the nurses taking care of your friend have remarked on how many people have come to support him. He must be someone special."

Michelle nodded. "He really is. His actions saved my life and have done the same for each member of his team over the time he's been with NCIS. And they've done the same for him. They're all really something special." He nodded, having seen the way the team supported each other.

They entered the waiting room where Joelle went to stand at Callen's side, needing to feel him near her, safe and sound. Michelle did the same to Sam. Julia went to Kensi and put her arms around her shoulders, her heart swelling when her daughter leaned into her, silently thanking her for being there. They all watched as Cassie, Paula and Talia left for their turn, Cassie and Paula holding tightly to each other, Talia tall and silent. As she left the room, she turned back and met Kensi's eyes. The two women nodded at each other and Talia turned to follow the others.

She expected it to be Cassie who broke down when they saw his condition. Surprisingly it was the more reserved Paula who started to cry. It was Cassie who stood strong and comforted the sobbing woman in her arms. Talia looked through the window at the man she had just today realized she loved. She knew she would be devastated if he didn't make it and that, even _when_ he did, she would still have to move on. There was no one for Marty but Kensi. She knew the attractive nurse was interested in her and that, under different circumstances, she would've already been all over that. She looked over at him, catching him watching her, thinking it was kind of cute that he blushed when she caught him. She wondered if he just might be the key to her getting Deeks out from under her skin. She wouldn't want to use him but maybe they could enjoy each other's company once the detective was on the mend. She turned back and tried to will Deeks back to them.

Craig was shy when he told them it was time to go, this federal agent fascinated him. He had gotten caught watching her and she didn't seem upset about it. He knew the ill man meant more to her than just a friend, but he also knew that the other federal agent downstairs was involved with him. He would be willing to be a diversion if it meant being able to spend time with her. He pushed down the thought that this woman could break his heart; he was still willing to give it a try if she was. He caught her eye again in the elevator and she smiled at him a little, making his pulse pound. Yes, she could be dangerous to him, but it would be one hell of a ride. His thoughts cut off when they exited the elevator and he took the next group up.

He and Tara talked softly during the ride; they had known each other for quite a while now, Tara bringing people into his hospital for them to patch up. He'd meet Dave once or twice in social settings when he'd gone out for drinks with some of the paramedics. Dave was used to the world his love worked in. She would often come home, upset when a particular patient got to her. She could be very descriptive when telling him about the scenes she would work, finding talking to him cathartic. He had thought he was well prepared but hadn't accounted for the emotional aspect of seeing his old friend so hurt. His heart stuttered and he felt Tara take his hand. She'd known what to expect as she'd been the first responder and hadn't even recognized him at first. They stood together at the window, Tara knowing that the machines were helping him. Seeing his heart beating strongly gave her hope. She tried to pass that hope onto Dave, telling him what each machine did and what the numbers meant. He seemed to take in all in, looking a little less pale with each word but wasn't upset when Craig told them it was time to go.

Neal and Cheryl were the last to go up to see Marty. He was glad the FBI agent had been selected to go with him although he wasn't sure if he should be ashamed of himself for being attracted to the woman while his friend was fighting for his life. He still wasn't sure why she wanted to go see a man she didn't even know. Taking a chance he asked her "Can I ask, why you are interested in seeing Marty, Agent Leary?"

"It's Cheryl and for some reason I feel invested in his surviving this. I saw what was done to him and I know that it could be me or anyone else I work with in this situation. I also see the kind of people who are here for him and I think it must mean he's someone worth knowing."

"I'm Neal and you're right. He really is. He seems to be able to get to anyone. Neither the Admiral nor Mrs. Shelton had much use for him when they first met and now they consider Marty family. I tried my best to hold him off but he just wouldn't take no for an answer. Now we're friends and he's teaching me how to surf. There aren't many like him out there and I'm glad I got the chance to know him. I just pray that I'll have many more years to enjoy his company."

"It's my hope that I'll be able to get to know him as well. One can never have too many friends, you know."

Neal smiled at her and then the elevator doors opened. Craig led them to the window and Neal paled when he saw what was waiting for them. Cheryl had already seen him but still found herself swallowing hard as she took in the amount of damage inflicted on him. Not thinking about it, she reached out and took Neal's hand in hers, wanting to give comfort as much as to receive it. He looked at her gratefully and turned back to the window. He remembered the last time that he and Deeks had gotten together to surf. The younger man had seemed so at home in the water, more fish than man. They'd had so much fun that day and he hoped it wasn't the last time they would get to spend together. You just never knew what life held in store for you and you had to enjoy what you had, while you had it.

Craig came up behind them and said "You're the last group and I'm sorry, but we need to head back down now." Neal and Cheryl took one last look through the window and turned to follow the nurse back to the elevator. When they reached the waiting room, everyone was still there. It seemed like no one wanted to leave, afraid something would happen if they did.

Hetty finally put her foot down and sent her agents and the rest home. Craig walked Talia out to her car after they both said their goodbyes to Kensi and gave her one last hug. When they reached the car he finally got up the nerve to ask her out for coffee once the detective was out of the woods. She hesitated at first, making him sure she was trying to find a way to let him down easy, but then she nodded and gave him her number before getting in and driving away. He walked to his own car feeling like something was starting, something good on a day full of horrors.

Neal and Cheryl also walked out together. They stood talking by her car, neither one wanting to walk away, when Neal suggested dinner, as friends of course. She had answered yes immediately and they agreed to meet at a small restaurant both discovered they favored.

Back inside the hospital, Hetty pulled Nell and Eric aside before they left and said "I want to go over that video tomorrow. Just the two of you, Granger and myself. From what you've told me about it, I don't think the rest of his team should see it just yet. If I could, I would also not let you watch it but you've already seen some of it and we'll need your help to see if we can glean anything from it to help track down McGonagle and Robinson. I'm sorry that you'll have to deal with this."

It was Nell who answered "We know Hetty, but we'll do everything we can to find those two. Even if it means watching that video again. We all want them caught and punished." Her voice fierce.

"Thank you, Miss. Jones. Now, both of you, head home and try to get some sleep. We'll need your best efforts tomorrow." The two nodded and headed out. Looking around, she saw that her agents hadn't listened to her. They were bunched in the corner, trying to look inconspicuous, Michelle, Julia and Joelle standing by them. She stalked over to them, watching them close ranks and stand defiant. She sighed; she couldn't control what they did in their off hours, at least not much. Truthfully, she hadn't planned on leaving herself. "Very well, if none of you plan on leaving, could someone at least go get us something to eat? It's going to be a long night."

Granger's voice came from behind her. "I'll drive."

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A/N - thanks to honus47 for reviewing and some great ideas that I incorporated in these last two chapters!

Also, sorry if this is a little wordy but I had a couple people ask for everyone's reactions and it just took on a life of it's own.


	58. Chapter 58

A/N – this chapter was co-written with honus47. Many thanks!

A/N 2 – Sorry for the delay between updates but I had the unfortunate experience of having to go to Aruba for a week. Sunny days, white sand, turquoise water, no work, happy hours….it was a tough job but someone had to do it. Oh, and I went horseback riding for the first time in my life. I walked funny for a couple days after that!

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Chapter 58

Moira entered the waiting room just after 8:30. She had come back on shift about a half hour ago and had checked in on Detective Deeks first thing. She was looking forward to giving his friends and family an update.

Sam looked up when she entered the room. Michelle had gone home to deal with Kamran. Both of their phones had blown up with texts all night, with constant questions about how Uncle Marty was doing. Michelle had finally headed home a little after midnight to get their daughter to go to bed. She had school today and was cranky when she didn't get a good night's sleep. Sam was pretty sure their little girl was also worried about her mom and dad. If Uncle Marty could get hurt and end up in the hospital, so could they. He smiled when he remembered the texts from Aiden. He had wanted to leave school and come to be with them but they had both said no. There was nothing he could do here that he couldn't at school. Deeks had managed to get under both his kids skins, not always an easy feat with Aiden. He stood when Moira approached.

Callen popped up as well, startled out of the cat nap he had been in the middle of. He had sent Joelle home at the same time as Michelle. She had offered to get a substitute for today but he'd told her there was no need, there was nothing any of them could do until he was off the ventilator and no longer sedated. He searched Moira's face and felt his heart lift when she smiled at him.

Kensi had been lying on the couch, her head in her mother's lap but had jackknifed upright when the door had opened. Like Callen, she felt better when she took in the look on the doctor's face. The big smile had to mean he was doing better.

It was Hetty who finally asked the question "How's our Mr. Deeks doing today, Dr. Shaughnessy?"

"He's doing well. His vitals are stable and his fever is down. It's still a little high but it would appear that the antibiotics are working. If his temperature continues to fall and he has a quiet day, I'm going to move him out of ICU and into a regular room. I want to keep him on the ventilator and under sedation for a few more days, he still has a lot of healing to do but, I think we can safely say he's no longer critical."

Kensi walked up and hugged Moira. "Thank you! Thank you so much for everything you've done for him Moira. He means everything to me, I don't know what I would have done if he'd slipped away."

Moira returned the hug. These were the updates she enjoyed, the ones that made her job so rewarding. The ability to tell people that their loved one was going to make it helped to offset the times when she had to deliver devastating news.

"I would recommend you all head home and get some rest. He still won't be allowed visitors until he's moved out of ICU and I'm sure he wouldn't want you all to run yourselves down sitting here doing nothing."

Hetty nodded in agreement and Moira left, promising that she would update them if anything changed and that someone would call them with Deeks's room number when he was moved. Hetty followed her out.

"Dr. Shaughnessy?" Moira turned and waited for the small woman to catch up to her.

"Yes, Ms. Lange?"

"Hetty, please." She handed Moira a business card. "That is my direct line. I ask that you contact me before moving Mr. Deeks to his room. I will also need to ask that you put him in a private one. The men who did that to him are still out there. He's safe in ICU but I want to be sure we have a guard on him at all times once he's moved. There's no real reason for me to think that he might still be in danger, but I will _not_ take any chances with him."

Moira nodded and slipped the card into the breast pocket of her lab coat. "Of course, Ms. Lan…Hetty. I understand. Would a half hour before moving him be sufficient?"

"Yes. I have no doubt that the armed guard will be one of his team mates. I doubt that they'll want anyone else watching over him but, just in case, please ask the staff to request to see the badges of anyone who wants to see him. If they do not have a badge or is not with someone else who does, do not allow them in."

"I will. Do you really think these men will come after him?"

"I don't know. What I do know is that anyone who can do that to another person is psychologically damaged. I wouldn't put anything past them. Should anyone turn up without the proper credentials, be sure to warn your people to not confront them. Keep an eye on them and have someone tell his guard. Also call that number. We will need to know if anyone attempts to get to him."

"I'll do that." Moira paused. "I really hope you get the monster or monsters that did that to him. They deserve to rot in jail for a very long time!"

"I hope so too, my dear and I agree that they don't deserve to see the light of day for the rest of their lives." The tone in Hetty's voice caused Moira to frown a little, remembering her own sentiments from the night before. She wondered if she'd sounded the same. Her pager went off and she realized she had been here longer than she'd intended. She said her goodbyes and headed to her other patients.

Hetty watched her go, not really seeing her. She was already thinking about heading into the Mission to watch that video with Granger, who had left shortly after Michelle and Joelle. He had let her know that he'd update Director Vance while she stayed here to watch over her flock. She smiled a little when she realized that Owen Granger, the one person she would have placed bets on being immune to Marty Deeks, wasn't. She turned back to shoo her flock to their homes. She sighed, knowing that each one of them would demand to be the one guarding him. She would select Kensi, the others had a job to do and she doubted the young woman would be of much help, worrying about her partner. A job that included finding Sean McGonagle and Carl Robinson as soon as possible. She would have to remind them to at least _try_ to take them alive. She needed one of them to give up who had ordered the abduction and torture of her detective.

As she had expected, each of them had protested against leaving. She had finally put her foot down and gotten them to agree to at least take a break. Kensi had been the most stubborn until Julia had joined forces with Hetty, finally convincing her to go back to Julia's for some good home cooking, a shower and a nap on a real bed instead of a couch. Julia smiled at Hetty on the way out and assured her that she'd make sure her daughter complied. They all walked out together then split up to go to their various cars, each feeling uneasy about leaving him in there alone. Their unease was warranted. Unbeknownst to them, their every move was being watched.

Sean McGonagle had found out from his source inside NCIS which hospital Deeks was at and had called to see if he was allowed visitors. He was told he was in ICU and for the next 24 - 48 hours he wasn't allowed any visitors. He thought this would be the perfect opportunity to finish the job he was asked to do, once he was sure that no one from NCIS or any other agency was still there. Watching the people who had just walked out, he knew everyone was accounted for. There would be no one but hospital personnel to protect the detective.

Around midnight he and Carl had snuck into the hospital and found the locker room. Going through the lockers, they discovered a janitor's uniform and a hospital ID for said janitor. Now that the coast was clear, he suited up. Looking over at Carl, he said "Keep a careful eye out for them. If one of them returns, call me immediately!" Carl nodded his understanding. He wished they had just run, coming back here seemed like a suicide mission but Sean had talked to the boss after their escape. Parks had warned him that, if they did run, they had better keep running as he would never stop tracking them down. If they finished off the detective, he would get them into Mexico and set them up with the Molina Cartel. Carl also knew that this had become personal to Sean. The detective hadn't broken and had, in fact, been instrumental in Sean getting caught. If it hadn't been for the LAPD officer on Parks's payroll, Sean would be sitting in jail right now.

Sean nonchalantly entered the hospital through the service entrance, using the stolen ID card. He located the supply closet and got a mop and bucket and went up to the ICU floor, using the employee's elevator. When he got off at ICU, he noticed only one nurse at the station. As he had expected, no one paid attention to the lowly janitor doing his job. As he pulled the bucket along, he approached the room his informant had said Deeks was in. When he saw the nurse standing outside the door, he ducked into another and looked curiously at the woman lying in the bed, hooked up to the machines that were keeping her alive. He pulled out a syringe filled with potassium chloride and injected it into the IV port. The lethal dose should only take a few minutes to stop the woman's heart and get the medical personnel into the room and their attention away from the detective. He would have more than enough time to exit the room before the alarms started to sound. He felt no remorse for the fact that he was killing an innocent woman. She was simply a means to an end.

Once the entire solution was injected, he slipped the empty syringe back into his pocket, next to the other item he had brought with him. The other item set his heart racing with anticipation. He was going to enjoy this, the detective had thwarted him at every turn and he was not one to forgive and forget. He walked back out of the room and made a show of mopping the floor. He didn't have long to wait before the heart monitor began to blare its alarm and all the medical personnel swarmed the room, not even noticing him.

He smiled and made his way to the detective's room, picking up a small towel off a rack he passed. He figured it was time to take care of Detective Deeks once and for all. Then he would be able to start his new life in Mexico. When he stood outside the room, he looked through the viewing window and was surprised at all the equipment he was hooked up to. "I'll leave all the equipment on him." he thought. "It won't save him from what I got for him. I'll be long gone before any of it alerts the hospital that there's an issue."

He looked back down towards the woman's room, everyone was still in there, trying to get her heart started, not knowing that there was no way they would succeed. Assured he was on his own, he entered the room and pulled out the case holding the very long, and very sharp stiletto knife he had picked out especially for this. He pulled the knife out and saw part of his face reflected in the blade and he smiled. Turning back, but before he started, he just had to admire his handiwork. He pulled the covers off Deeks and checked him over. "I did a fine job." he thought to himself. "But I'm not done yet."

He placed the stiletto over Deeks's thigh and whispered in his ear "I'll be long gone before you die Detective Deeks but I wanted you to know it was me. There's no one here to help you. I only wish I could stay long enough to watch you take your last breath." He caressed the detective's leg, looking for the correct spot. He knew a lot about anatomy, he'd been doing this a very long time. He knew just where to cut to cause the most pain but not kill his subject. He knew just where to insert the knife into the man's leg but not nick the femoral artery, causing him to slowly bleed out.

He slowly pushed the stiletto into Deeks's upper leg until it came out the bottom, surprised when the man didn't even move. Most unrewarding. He pulled the knife out and watched the blood bubble up for a few moments, mesmerized by the sight. Snapping out of it, he placed the towel over the wound and then pulled the blankets back over the unresponsive man. He tilted his head to the left, nope; no one would even be able to tell he was bleeding until it was too late. Time for him to leave. He walked out and grabbed the mop and bucket, slowly making his way back to the elevator. As he passed the woman's room he heard someone say "I'm calling it. Time of death 9:37." He smiled up at the camera, not caring that someone would be able to see his face later, when they watched the tape. He wanted the detective's friends and coworkers to know who was responsible.

The elevator doors opened and he waited for a male nurse to exit before pushing his mop and bucket in. The man said "Good Morning." but never really looked him in the eye. The doors closed and Sean McGonagle was home free.

Craig Trent was not due on duty for another twenty minutes but he had come in early to check on Deeks. He wasn't really sure why the man had been on his mind all night. Maybe it was how he'd been hurt. Maybe it was the sheer number of people who had shown up, worried sick about him. Maybe it was Talia. He really didn't know and figured it really didn't matter. Checking up on him wouldn't hurt anyone and would ease his mind. He entered the room and automatically checked the machines displaying his vitals. He frowned a little. The blood pressure seemed a little low. Even as he watched, the numbers dropped lower but were still not in the danger zone.

Something was bothering him, something seemed out of place but he couldn't put his finger on it. He stepped closer to the bed and did a thorough sweep of the detective's body. Everything was fine until he reached the legs. The left one looked lumpy. He gently pulled back the covers and saw the towel placed there. What in the world? He pulled the covers back further and saw the blood pool under the leg. He lifted back the towel to find it sodden with blood from the wound that was pumping it out with each beat of the man's heart. He quickly placed his right hand over it and applied pressure. With his other hand, he pressed the call button on the bed. He knew it would alert the nurse at the station that something was wrong. As heavily sedated as he was, there was no way he would be pushing that button himself.

Janice Hart looked up at the alarm sounding on her board. She had been filling in the information on Susan Wilkins who had just passed away unexpectedly. She had been in ICU for two days and had been steadily improving. No one was really sure why her heart had just suddenly stopped beating. Her eyebrows rose when she saw it was the detective's room. There was no way he was pushing that button. She got up and ran to the room, stunned to see Craig with his hand on the man's leg, blood seeping through his fingers. "What happened, Craig?"

"I don't know! I came in to see him and noticed his blood pressure seemed low. I pulled back the covers and found this. Get Dr. Shaughnessy, now! She's going to have to suture this up; she might even have to operate on it. Janice, now!"

Janice turned and ran back to her station. She pushed the button on the microphone and said into it "Dr. Moira Shaughnessy, ICU room 3, stat!"

Moira looked up from her paperwork when she heard her name over the loud speaker, recognizing the room as that of the detective. She ran to the stairs, not wanting to wait for the elevator. She skidded into ICU and ran to room 3, Janice right on her heels. She found Craig putting pressure onto the man's leg, blood covering his hand as he tried to staunch the flow of blood. "What the hell happened?"

Craig looked up and replied "We don't know. Obviously someone attacked him. Looks like whatever they used at least missed the artery but he's bleeding pretty badly. Is his condition, he could bleed out."

Moira looked over at Janice and said "Call down to surgery. Tell them to get a room ready for an emergency. We'll be right down with him." Janice nodded and ran out to the station to make that call. "Craig, keep applying pressure, I'm going to move him to the portable ventilator." Craig nodded in response. Moira made short work of switching machines and was just turning back when Janice returned to tell them OR was ready and waiting. The other ICU nurse, Krissy Appleton, entered the room right behind her. Krissy helped Moira push the bed out of the room to the elevator, Craig continuing to apply pressure to the wound. Janice paced by them. Moira reached into her breast pocket and pulled out the business card she had hoped to use to call with _good_ news. She thrust it into Janice's hand and said "Call this number and ask for Hetty. Tell her someone attacked Marty Deeks in ICU and that we're taking him down to surgery right now." Janice took the card and nodded.

The elevator doors closed behind them and she turned back to the ICU Unit, wondering what the world was coming to. How had someone attacked one of their patients right under their noses without anyone noticing anything? She shivered, wondering if any of them had also been in danger. She paused, wondering if Mrs. Wilkins's death was related. She pulled over the paperwork she'd been filling out and made a note to check into it, then she reached for the phone and punched in the number on the card Moira had given her.

When a woman answered "Lange" she asked for Hetty.

"Speaking."

"My name is Janice Hart; I'm a nurse in the ICU Unit at Pacific Beach Medical. Dr. Moira Shaughnessy asked me to call you to let you know that someone attacked Marty Deeks in his room. They're on their way down to surgery as we speak. It looked like a knife wound to the leg that is bleeding very badly. On a positive note, it missed the artery or we wouldn't have been able to save him." She paused and thought about it. "He's very lucky. Another nurse, Craig Trent, came in to check on him and noticed something was wrong. If he hadn't, we might not have known anything was wrong before it was too late."

There was silence on the other end of the phone. "Ms. Lange? Are you still there?"

"Yes. Thank you Ms. Hart. I appreciate your letting me know. We'll be there shortly."

"You're welcome." Janice replied and hung up the phone.

Hetty closed her cell phone and looked at the people staring at her in concern. She, Eric, Nell and Granger had just begun to watch the video from Deeks's torture and now this. She wondered how much more their goofy detective was going to have to go through. She cleared her throat and relayed the news to them. Granger's face turned purple he was so angry. Nell and Eric just looked shocked, not sure how to react to this newest development.

"Eric, access the security feed at the hospital. See if you can find who attacked Mr. Deeks. I have a strong suspicion who you'll find. I'll call his team and let them know. Ms. Blye is going to be furious; she didn't want to leave him." Hetty sighed. She decided she would call Julia and let Kensi's mother break the news to her. She didn't want to give her that kind of news over the phone; it would be better coming from someone in person. Granger indicated he would call Callen and Sam.

Eric turned back to his computer and started trying to hack into the hospital feed. Nell reached over when she noticed that his hands were shaking. She covered his with her own and silently gave him her support. He smiled a little at her, thanking her without words and felt stronger. He turned back and made short work of accessing the feed. He started watching the tape about a half hour before the call that just came in. He watched the janitor come out of the elevator and then go into a room. He came back out and started mopping the floor. Moments later alarms blared and the nurses and a doctor rushed into the room. The janitor then moved down the hall and entered Deeks's room. He came back out a few minutes later and went to the elevator, looking up at the camera and smiling. Eric started shaking again, this time with anger. He froze the picture and sat staring at Sean McGonagle's face smiling back at him.

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A/N3 - this chapter has been changed long after it was originally completed. A review just received clued me in to the fact that nicking the femoral artery would most likely have resulted in death long before Trent got there. My bad for not researching better. I modified the story to indicate it missed the artery.


	59. Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Kensi Marie Blye was furious. With Hetty. With Granger. With Sam and Callen. And, if truth be told, with herself.

"We left him here, alone! I didn't want to and you made us go. Now look what's happened to him!"

Callen put his hands on her shoulders and said "Kens, look at me."

She looked at him, anger clearly written on her face.

"Based on what happened, do you believe McGonagle was going to give up on getting to him?"

"No." She said in a low voice.

"The keycard he stole was only going to be good for a short time. Eventually the owner would've realized it was missing, reported it and the hospital would've deactivated it. Then it wouldn't have been any good to him anymore. Eventually, he would've had to come in whether we were here or not. You saw the footage Eric sent us; he went in the employee entrance and used the service elevator. Even if we'd been here, we wouldn't have seen him. And if we had been here? Do you think Craig would've gone right to his room or do you think he might have stopped in to see how we were doing?"

"He would probably have stopped in to see us, if only to see if Talia was here." She tried to make a joke but it fell flat, her heart just not in it.

"So if he'd come to see us instead of Deeks, what if he'd stayed until he was due for his shift? What if he'd run out of time and decided to check on Deeks when he got a break later in the day? What would have happened?"

"Deeks could have bled out. " She understood his logic and knew he was trying to do for her what she'd done for him when he was blaming himself for not listening to Deeks concerns about going into that warehouse. She felt a little better about the fact that they'd all left the hospital but then her thoughts turned in another direction and she started to get angry again.

"We should have put a guard on him!"

This time is was Hetty who spoke. "You're right, Kensi. We should have and that's on me. I had every intention of posting a guard once Marty was out of ICU. I even spoke to Dr. Shaughnessy about it. I truly thought, with so many eyes on him, with the highest ratio of medical personnel to patients than anywhere else in the hospital, that ICU would be safe for him. Even we weren't allowed in to visit him. I never expected McGonagle to get in and out so easily. That was my mistake and not one that I will ever repeat. I am truly sorry."

Kensi registered Hetty's use of their first names and realized their boss was shaken by the current turn of events. Softly she asked "If I, or any one of us, had asked, would you have put a guard on him?"

"Of course." Was the instant answer.

"Why?"

"I trust you and your team's instincts. If any of you had felt a need for a guard, I would have trusted you had a reason and ordered one immediately."

Kensi looked over Hetty's head to Granger who was silently nodding his agreement to Hetty's words. Kensi sighed. "Then I guess it's on all of us. I never thought to ask for one." She looked at Callen and Sam. Callen shook his head. He hadn't thought to post a guard either. Sam was staring at a spot on the wall. Kensi frowned at him and all eyes turned towards the man.

"Mr. Hanna? Is there something on your mind?" asked Hetty.

Sam sighed heavily and turned his eyes to the group. "I didn't want to believe it. I didn't want to believe we had yet another mole inside NCIS, but we all saw the security footage. McGonagle knew Deeks was here, at this hospital. Knew he was in ICU, knew exactly what room he was in. You saw him, he never hesitated. Never looked into any room other than the one that poor woman was in. He killed her as a means to an end without a second thought. We need to post a guard on him as soon as he's out of surgery. We don't even wait until he's back in ICU. He needs to be protected at all times from now until we get that bastard. " He paused and breathed deeply. "And, it needs to be one of us that guards him. I don't trust anyone else; the mole could be any other agent at NCIS. Right now, this group is the only one I'm willing to trust with his safety."

Hetty grimly nodded her agreement, knowing that all of them were blaming themselves for underestimating just how bold and determined McGonagle was. She remembered Sam's comment when their Liaison had been shot and the shooters had shown up at the hospital for a second try, even though they hadn't known at the time that Mr. Deeks hadn't been the target after all. He'd been angry that LAPD hadn't put a detail on one of their own and now they'd done exactly the same thing. She sighed, wondering if they were all too close to this to think clearly. It was usually a given that they would post a guard and, even though his team had been tired, there were plenty of other agents who would gladly have taken a turn protecting their Mr. Deeks. The actions of so many of them during the search for him had shown that. She had to wonder though; would the one who had been the most insistent about taking on that duty have been the mole? Would things have turned out differently, better or perhaps even worse? They would never know for sure. All they could do now was correct their mistake and protect him, find the two who had done this and get one of them to confirm that it was Park and Timmons who had orchestrated everything. It was time to end this.

Granger said "Lt. Bates and Officer Wolinsky are the only ones at LAPD who knew where Deeks was. Both of them voiced their concern that there was someone inside both their organization and NCIS, leaking information to McGonagle. They were the only ones here from LAPD and, unless I'm wrong about those two, they wouldn't have given Deeks's location out to anyone. They were both too suspicious. No one else from LAPD has even made an effort to come see him. It would seem fairly obvious that the leak came from NCIS. We have Beale and Jones looking into everyone who was at the scene, from _all_ agencies. If anyone can find a connection, it's those two. If they find nothing on anyone who was there that night, we'll have them expand the search to all NCIS agents at OSP. We won't stop until we plug this leak and take the person responsible into custody. No one does this to one of mine and gets away with it!"

Kensi opened her mouth to comment on the fact that he'd just called Deeks one of his, when the door to the waiting room opened and Moira walked in, once again with Craig right on her heels. Both were smiling and a feeling of relief swept over everyone. She went up to Kensi and took her hands. "He's fine. We were able to repair the artery and he lost very little blood compared to what could've happened if Craig hadn't discovered the attack within minutes of it happening. His temperature hasn't spiked again, in fact it's gone done a little. He's in recovery now but I want to keep him in ICU another night and, if all goes as well as I hope, we'll move him to a regular room tomorrow afternoon. Just a day later than we'd planned."

Kensi pulled her into a hug and said "I'll never be able to thank you enough Moira! For all you've done for him."

"Don't thank me, thank Craig. If he hadn't been there, hadn't acted so quickly, things might have turned out quite differently." Moira answered, hugging her back. She stepped out of Kensi's embrace and graciously accepted the thanks of everyone else in the room.

Kensi turned to Craig and pulled him into a hug as well. "Thank you Craig! I don't know why you were there but I am so grateful you were."

Craig smiled down at her as he hugged her back. "I'm just glad things worked out the way they did. "

Callen tilted his head and looked at Craig. "Can I ask Craig, just why did you decide to stop in to see Deeks? You've never exchanged a word with him, haven't even technically met him. What made you do that?"

"Truthfully? I really have no idea. I only know he was on my mind all night. I woke up about 2 this morning and just felt this need to go see him. I even reset my alarm to an earlier time so that I could stop in and still get to work when I was supposed to."

"Well, we're all grateful that you did."

Craig nodded at all of them and said "I've got to get back to work. I just wanted to be here when you got the good news. I'll stop up to see him again before I leave for the day." He shook everyone's hand and headed back out.

Hetty turned to Moira. "We'll need to post a guard on him immediately. We should have done so earlier."

Moira nodded and said "I understand. I can only offer my apologies that he was attacked, here, in my hospital. That was unacceptable. He should have been safe here. There is no way that man should have been able to get in so easily and hurt not only one of our patients, but two. My director has already called a meeting to review our security protocols. He's also decided that the keycards all our employee's carry will need to be taken care of more carefully. We've talked to the man it belonged to and he admitted to leaving it in his locker each night when he headed home so that he wouldn't forget it the next day. The hospital also plans on making sure that all the employee entrances are more secure. I know that none of that changes what happened, but I wanted you to know that we aren't taking this lightly."

"We never thought you would. By the way, Miss. Blye will be taking the first watch. Would you be so kind as to take her to him?"

"Of course. Will the rest of you be staying?"

"No. We have work to do." The tone in Hetty's voice left no room for misunderstanding exactly what that work would entail.

Kensi turned to Hetty and said "Thank you for understanding that I would want to be the one to take first watch Hetty."

"You're welcome. However, that doesn't mean you are the only one allowed to protect him. We will _all_ take shifts and you _will_ go home to eat and rest when told to do so. Am I understood, Miss. Blye?"

Kensi smiled at the reversion to the more formal form of address that Hetty normally used, knowing that meant Hetty was trying to convey that she meant every word. She would find that Kensi could be very stubborn, but they didn't need to have that argument right now. Right now she was going to be allowed to actually see and touch the man she loved so much. As she left with Moira she wondered if Hetty realized that she hadn't actually agreed to her orders before she left the room. If she had looked back, she would have known by the look of resignation on the older woman's face, that Hetty had, indeed, realized that fact but hadn't called her on it. She would soon discover that Hetty Lange could be just as stubborn.

Hetty's face turned thoughtful as an idea formulated in her head. She turned to those remaining and said "Mr. Hanna, Mr. Callen, Owen and I will head back to the Mission to see what Mr. Beale and Miss. Jones have uncovered. You two should go home and get some rest. You'll be needed back here tomorrow night. I will also be asking for volunteers to guard Mr. Deeks starting tomorrow when he is moved out of ICU."

Sam interrupted her. "I thought we agreed that no one outside our team would be guarding him!"

"No one will, Mr. Hanna. Mr. Deeks will be moved to his room under another name. One of your team or Miss. Jones will be guarding him. "Detective Deeks" will be moved to a room with our volunteer guard. I'm sure the hospital will be more than cooperative after the events here today."

Sam looked at Callen and smirked. "And just who will be playing the part of Deeks?"

Callen looked from him to Hetty to Granger, all of whom were looking at him. "So I get to play Deeks in this little sting operation?"

"Indeed, Mr. Callen. I can't think of anyone else who would play the part as well." Hetty said as she and Owen left the room. Turning back she said "I meant what I said. You two need to go home. I need you both at your best tomorrow. If this works the way I hope it will, we might be able to end this soon."

Both men nodded and watched the two leave. Callen looked thoughtful and a million miles away. Sam asked "What are you thinking G?"

"Sam, did you ever wonder why some things work out the way they do? We've both in this game a long time. We've both seen someone turn a fraction of an inch for no reason and the bullet that would have killed them misses them entirely. Do you ever wonder if someone is looking out for them?"

"What? Like a guardian angel?" He laughed, not sure if his partner and best friend was messing with him.

"I'm serious. Why was Deeks on Craig's mind so strongly that he felt the need to come in early? If he hadn't, there's a good chance Deeks would be dead right now."

"Plain dumb luck? You can't really believe this stuff!"

"Think about this. We both saw the deep and instant connection that Deeks and Thapa made the first time they met. We'd known Deeks for years but never felt that kind of connection. We were with Thapa longer, hell, you fought him. Yet it was Deeks that he bonded with. That first time? When Deeks went undercover with Talita and we finally breached? The only thing on his mind was to get the injured Thapa out. The thumb drive never crossed his mind yet it was supposed to be our number one priority. When he died protecting you, Deeks was devastated. Yet, they'd only worked together twice and not for very long either time. Why does that happen with some people?"

"You think they knew each other in some other lifetime? That Thapa is watching over him? If he was, then he would never have been taken in the first place."

"Maybe he can only do so much. Maybe it was Thapa who gave him the feeling that we shouldn't go into that warehouse but he couldn't control us overriding Deeks. Maybe he was the one who made sure Craig was at the hospital early enough today to be sure that McGonagle' s attack didn't end his friend's life."

"You going all mystical on me G? I think your Romany slip is showing! Let's get out of here. I want to go to the Mission and see what the wonder twins have found."

"Hetty told us to go home."

Sam rolled his eyes at his partner. "When has that ever stopped you?" Callen smirked at his partner, acknowledging how right he was. Together the two men headed out to sneak back to the Mission.

~.~.~.~.

A/N – a couple people commented on the fact that they didn't leave a guard on Deeks, even though it was SOP. I did that on purpose. Call it a…plot device? Not sure if I used the words correctly. Also, I got some comments on hurting Deeks just for the sake of hurting him. I never meant for the injury to do any lasting harm, as this chapter bears out. Again, it was to further the story.

A/N 2 – Also, I got several comments on how long this story had gotten. I agree! I meant this to be six chapters but it took on a life of its own. If I had known then, what I know now, I would have broken each story arc up into a one of its own. That being said, this story arc will end Cotillion. It will not end stories in what I've come to call the Shelton Universe. I still have too many loose ends and prompts to address. After all, there's a proposal in the future! I plan to start on the sequel immediately. I have so many ideas! If you have any, send them my way either in a review or a PM!


	60. Chapter 60

A/N – Most of this chapter was suggested by OhBuddy66. So much so, that I feel like I should give co-writer credit for it! Thanks for the great ideas! I left one person out of a scene as that person was otherwise occupied.

A/N 2 – Thanks to honus47 for reviewing all my chapters before they post, looking for all my mistakes. Any left are all mine. Thanks for your encouragement and friendship! They mean the world to me!

A/N 3 – This chapter ended up being longer than most. I just couldn't find a spot to break it where I wouldn't end up with one very short one and a still somewhat long one and I didn't want to pad the short one just for the sake of adding words. So, here it is, as is. Oh, and did I mention this chapter _**officially**_ makes this story _**ten**_ times longer than originally planned?

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Chapter 60 (yup, 60!)

Kensi followed Moira up to the surgical recovery unit. She was surprised to find she was nervous. She'd only seen him through the window of his ICU room and now she'd be able to see up close and personal, the damage inflicted on him. She swallowed hard when they entered the room and Moira led her to the curtained off section he was resting behind. When she saw him lying there, all nerves fled and all she wanted to do was touch him, to confirm he was really there and breathing. She looked at Moira, silently asking permission.

The woman smiled back at her and nodded. "He's still under anesthesia but even when it's worn off, you won't see much difference. We're still going to keep him under sedation for a few more days until the wounds on his back heal more. Then we'll start to wean him off it slowly, see how he tolerates it. I'm hoping we'll be able to take him off the ventilator before then. Go ahead and sit with him. Let him know you're here. I'll come back in an hour or so and we'll see about moving him back to ICU."

"I know I keep saying this but, thank you Moira!"

"You're welcome. I'm looking forward to meeting him when he wakes up. He seems like a special man."

"He's the best."

Moira smiled again and took her leave. Kensi walked up to the bed and scanned his body from head to toe. He already looked like he was losing his tan on the few areas of skin that weren't covered with bruises or bandages. It was so strange to see him still and pale. He was always moving, always finding a way to touch her even if it was just a light brush of fingertips in passing. His hair was flat and dirty looking. She had to smile at that, knowing he'd hate it. She took his hand. It was warm but not overly so. His fever really had come down. She laced her fingers with his and leaned over to brush his hair off his forehead so she could kiss him there. She moved down and kissed his temple, his cheek and then the corner of his mouth not covered by the ventilator. She finally sat in the chair next to his bed and started to talk to him quietly.

"Hey baby, I'm here and I'm waiting for you to open those beautiful blue eyes. They've got you sedated and it's killing me to not be able to look into your eyes. To not see the laughter and love in them. I miss you so much. It's too quiet. I never thought I'd hear myself say that. The last time I sat here like this was when you were shot. We'd only been partners for a short time. Even then, I missed your eyes and your voice. If someone had told me then, that we'd be where we are today, I would have laughed on the outside even while I acknowledged on the inside that it could be something magical. And it is. We're alone here and you won't know I said this but I keep thinking of a line in that Elton John song. I can't even remember the name or most of the words but…

She leaned forward, put her mouth close to his ear and sang softly "How wonderful life is while you're in the world." She straightened up and continued softly. "I mean it Deeks. My life with you is wonderful and I can't imagine a world without you in it. You know, I still can't really bring myself to call you Marty. You'll always be Deeks to me. When we're old and grey, our grandchildren will ask why Grandma always calls Grandpa by his last name. I can just hear you coming up with some cheesy answer, making them laugh and earning a punch to the shoulder from yours truly. You heard right, by the way, I just mentioned our future grandchildren. I hear your voice right now, telling me that certain things need to happen before we get to that point. When you're awake and feeling better, I need to let you know that I'm ready. I'm ready to take the next step in our relationship, if you want to."

"The doctor says you're pretty much out of the woods but you still have a lot of healing left to do. They're moving you back to ICU for tonight, just as a precaution, and then tomorrow you're in a regular room where everyone will be able to come see you."

She smiled. "You wouldn't believe how many people were here the night we found you and brought you in. I even met one of your old girlfriends. She was the EMT on scene and she saved your life. I like her. I like her better as an engaged woman. We even met her fiancé. He seems like a nice guy. Tara and Dave. Cassie and Paula. Who knew you were such a matchmaker! Oh, and Talia might just have met someone to take her focus off you. The head ER nurse, who by the way saved your life today, has the hots for her. I think she's returning his interest. She and I…cleared the air between us. If things work out with her and Craig, I could actually see us becoming friends."

She stroked her free hand down his arm, reveling in the ability to actually be able to touch him. "I don't think you realize how many friends you have. Just about everyone at NCIS volunteered to help find you. A few even said they'd go with or without Hetty's permission. In fact, a few showed up at the scene without even bothering to ask. You had the DEA, CIA, Naval Intelligence and eventually the FBI, searching for you. How many people can say that? And yeah, LAPD was looking too. Oh! The FBI agent assigned to this case was partnered with one of the agents Parks had killed after he was acquitted. That's how they got involved in looking for you, they want Robinson. She and Neal really hit it off! Wouldn't it be amazing if this awful situation resulted in two new couples? Good coming out of bad?"

She put her head down on the bed by his hand and finally gave into the tears she had been holding back for so long. Tears of grief for the things he'd had to endure, tears of relief that he was going to make it and not leave her here, alone. There was no one here to see Bad Ass Blye cry and she let it happen.

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Hetty and Granger walked up the stairs to ops. Once they entered the room, Hetty said to Eric, "Mr. Beale, we need the room."

He and Nell exchanged looks. They knew why and neither was looking forward to it. They were going to have to watch the video. Eric got up and ushered the other analysts from the room until it was only the four of them.

Wanting to give the two time to prepare themselves, Hetty asked "How are the background checks going?"

Nell answered "We're still sifting through a lot of data. We've found a couple of financial anomalies but they've all turned out to be legitimate."

"Such as?" asked Granger.

"Well, Sheila Karle and her husband, Roland, deposited a little over 92 thousand dollars about 8 months ago, into his company's account. Prior to that, their finances were pretty dire. When we dug into it, it turned out that his construction company had entered into a contract with a big name developer. The connection would really have put the company on the map and Roland purchased a lot of the material with his own money. Once the work was done, the developer found a loop hole in the contract and refused to pay Roland back. He ended up taking them to court and won triple damages. Three guesses as to who their lawyer was?"

Hetty smiled. "Mr. Deeks. That explains Sheila's determination to help find him. She hinted that he had helped her and her husband out of a situation and that she felt they owed him. Anyone else?"

"Agent Jim Franklin also had a deposit of just over 30 thousand two months ago. Turns out an aunt in Florida left him her condo. He sold it. Deeks was on record as his lawyer for the transaction."

Granger harrumphed. "Maybe we should start charging him for office space." He said grumpily and then ruined it by smiling.

Nell continued, wishing she had more information to distract their bosses but they hadn't found anything else yet. "That's all we've found so far."

Hetty sighed, knowing the time had come. "Very well. I hate to ask this but would you please pull up the video found at the packing plant?"

Neither analyst moved, each wanting the other to do it. Granger cleared his throat at the inactivity and both went to bring it up, bumping into each other at their computer terminals.

"Nell, Eric. I know this is going to be difficult, but if it can do anything to help us put away the two men who put Mr. Deeks into the hospital, surely it's worth it?' Asked Hetty. Both reluctantly nodded and Eric opened the file on the secure server. He entered the password and started it playing on the big screen.

The room was empty except for a platform in the center of the picture. "I wondered the first time we watched this, what was the purpose of the platform? It didn't seem to be needed for anything. They could just have used longer rope to hold him up or lower the hook. Either way would still have let him touch the floor." Eric was clearly confused by this.

"Psychological. Putting him on display. Making it seem like he was on a stage, that everything that was happening to him was larger than life. Isolating him from the rest of the room." Granger bit out. Hetty nodded at his assessment. They wouldn't know for sure until they had at least one of the men in custody and talking, but it was as good an explanation as any she could come up with. Perhaps Nate would have had a different opinion. Next time she talked with him, she would have to ask.

"Mr. Beale, fast forward please." Hetty was back to using her normal, more formal form of address. Eric complied and fast forwarded to when Deeks was dragged into the room, unconscious and dressed only in his boxers. They watched him manhandled up onto the hook and then the men left him alone. They watched as he slowly awoke and took in his surroundings. When he wildly began to scan the room, Hetty commented softly "He's looking for the rest of his team, worried that they were taken too." When he realized he was alone, the relief was evident on his face. He then turned his attention to the ropes holding him.

He had just gained purchase and was experimenting with raising himself up when the sound of a door opening was heard. They watched as he lowered himself and pretended to still be out. They all watched as Robinson taunted him. Nell and Eric had already seen Deeks attack from his hanging position when Robinson admitted to killing Katie and her husband, breaking the man's nose, but both Hetty and Granger were unprepared. Granger was unwillingly impressed, Hetty was aware once more just how underestimated her detective was.

Eric continued to fast forward through the footage where nothing was happening, bringing it back to normal speed whenever there was activity in the room, until they hit the part where McGonagle started to whip Deeks. Both analysts turned away from the sight but couldn't block out the sound. Neither Hetty nor Granger made any comments, both focused solely on the video.

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Downstairs, Callen and Sam had silently entered the Mission, on alert for the presence of Granger or Hetty; prepared with excuses should they get caught. Both wanted to talk with Eric and Nell to see what they'd come up with. Hetty wasn't in her office but the sight of so many of the analysts working at auxiliary stations raised their suspicions. The only time this happened is when Hetty commandeered ops. They needed to be up there, orders be damned.

Both headed for the steps only to be stopped by one of the analysts who was heading back to his station from the burn room. "Miss. Lange cleared the room. We were all kicked out. You won't be allowed in."

Sam smiled at the man and lied through his teeth "I know. They're waiting on us right now. Can't keep the bosses waiting!" The analyst frowned but backed off. He knew this team was usually involved in the really sensitive cases and had often been amongst those left behind the few times he had experienced this lock out. He finally nodded and went on his way. Sam and Callen exchanged concerned looks. There was only one case NCIS was working on right now and that was Deeks. If Hetty had cleared the room, they had something they didn't want anyone else to know about. Including them. That had to be why she had sent them both home.

They both took the stairs two at a time, determined that they wouldn't be left out in the dark on this. This was personal and nothing should be kept from them that could lead them to McGonagle and Robinson. They reached the door and when it opened for them, they entered, only to stop short, confronted by the sight on the big screen of Deeks hanging from the hook and being whipped. They had known there was something on the laptop that had been specifically kept from Kensi and, consequentially, from them; they just hadn't been prepared for this.

Hearing the door open behind them, Hetty turned in time to see the two agents enter the room and stop in shock. "Mr. Beale! Take the video down immediately!"

Eric scrambled to do as he was told but only managed to get the picture off the main screen, the sound of the whip hitting flesh continued. He fumbled with the buttons and finally the sound died out. He looked at Hetty in consternation "I'm sorry Hetty!"

"That's quite all right Mr. Beale." Turning to face the two men she continued "Mr. Hanna and Mr. Callen are not supposed to be here. They were ordered to go home and rest for their upcoming assignment. Perhaps they would care to explain why they are here, instead, and have barged into what was obviously a closed briefing?"

Sam said "The door wasn't locked."

Ignoring her Callen said "Put it back up Eric!"

Eric looked at Hetty who shook her head no. Turning to him she said "Mr. Callen, this is not something for you or Mr. Hanna to be watching. I need you both to be able to concentrate on what you should be doing."

Sam spoke up "Bull. We need to see that video as much as you do." He stared her down, not backing off.

She knew these two men, better than just about anyone, and knew there was no way they were going to let this go. She tried one last volley "Do you think we should wait for Miss. Blye then? Perhaps she too, will feel she needs to see this?"

"NO!" both men answered vehemently.

"Then why do you two feel the need?"

Callen answered "If there's anything on that tape that leads us to them, we need to know!"

"Do you think the four of us incapable of determining that?"

"Of course not! But now that we know about it, you can't keep it from us!" Callen held her eyes, pleading with her without saying the words.

Sam vocally added his plea to his partner's silent one. "Hetty, he's our team mate and our friend. I know you think you're protecting us by not wanting us to watch this but we _need_ to do this."

Sighing, she turned back and said "Very well. Mr. Beale, please start the tape again, from the beginning."

Eric turned to do as she requested and Nell started walking towards the door. "I've already seen all I need to. I can't watch it again. Eric, let me know when you've gotten to the part where we stopped. I'll come back then." And with that she left the room. Eric watched her go longingly, wishing he could go with her, wishing he could comfort her and let her comfort him in return. He sighed and turned back to comply with Hetty's request. The video reappeared on the screen. He once again fast forwarded to the vital parts and regretted having to watch the screen so he would know when to stop and what to skip past.

Sam and Callen watched the video as it started. When Deeks kicked Robinson in the face, pushing him off the platform and breaking his nose, both men smiled, proud of him. Sam said "That's our boy! Way to go Deeks! That upper body strength is why he keeps kicking your ass on the climbing wall, G. He put it to good use right then!" Callen nodded in agreement. McGonagle entered and the two men argued, Robinson wanting to make Deeks pay for hurting him. They saw the speculative way McGonagle looked at Deeks as he told Robinson to go get checked out. They braced themselves when Robinson went back up on the platform to confront Deeks. Both grinned when Deeks vomited all over Robinson and the man's sputtering reaction. Sam even huffed out a small laugh that died almost immediately. They knew what was coming, they'd seen the aftermath.

Watching McGonagle take over after Robinson left, hearing Deeks taunt him, seeing the man get more and more frustrated at their detective's refusal to give him what he wanted, the pride all of them felt increased. They all knew from personal experience just how annoying Deeks could be when he set out to be. He played McGonagle throughout. The one time he got a rise from Deeks was when he threatened Kensi.

Meanwhile, they made note of everything Robinson or McGonagle said, about their connection with Parks, about Parks connection with Timmons, the confession to the murder of Deeks's friends and the FBI agents. The fact that Timmons and Parks had entered into a romantic relationship. That confirmed that Deeks's concern about them both being in the same prison, was warranted. Now they had to find out how the two had been in communication and close it down.

They all winced and wanted to turn away as they watched their friend and colleague cut, whipped and beaten. The fact that he had not uttered a word throughout was amazing but totally Deeks. McGonagle had bragged that he liked it when his victims begged and Deeks was just stubborn enough to not give it to him. The video continued even when Deeks was hanging unconscious, alone in the room. Eric quickly bypassed each of these small reprieves that Deeks had gotten.

They heard the cell phone conversation from McGonagle's end when the rescue team had shown up. Watched as he stood in front of the beaten man and taunted him about killing whoever stuck their head in the door first, stating how he, himself, was not going to be taken. Sam froze when he heard him describe the Hanna family, talking about making Michelle a widow. The man had either been following them or this was more information that the mole had leaked.

Everything came to a head as they heard gunshots. Sam, Callen and Granger now had the unique perspective of seeing the situation they had been involved in, playing out in a different area of the plant. They watched as McGonagle raised his gun, pointing it about head height. They couldn't see the door but Sam knew what was coming. He'd been the first one through it and McGonagle had had a bead on where he would shortly be. They watched as Deeks screamed and lifted himself off the floor to push the gunman down, effectively spoiling his aim and saving Sam's life. They watched as he passed out and dropped back to the ground, the sudden dead weight dislocating both his shoulders.

Sam and Callen appeared on screen and Eric looked at Hetty inquiringly. "Turn it off Mr. Beale. We all know what transpired next." Eric stopped the video and realized he'd never called Nell back. He was pretty sure Hetty didn't forget. For that he was grateful to her. He didn't want Nell to have experienced everything they just did. Depending on how things went, she may not be spared if they had to watch it again, but for now, they hopefully had everything they could get from it.

They all turned away from the video screen but no one spoke. It was too soon, too raw. After a few minutes of silence passed, Granger finally broke it. "We have more than enough evidence from this video to put Robinson and McGonagle away for life. When we find them, and we will, I intend to push for the death penalty for both." He paused. "If either one survives their capture that is."

Hetty took over. "We can also add to the charges against Timmons. Parks is already in for life with no chance of parole. There is not much information that we can use against him to make his sentence any longer, life is life. As he did not actually participate in any of the murders committed, just ordered them, we probably wouldn't be able to request the death penalty for him. We now know the reason why Parks was willing to help Timmons, even though the man no longer has the power to help him in return. We need to look into how the two men communicated while in prison. There is no way they could do so without help. Mr. Beale, if you would be so kind as to find Miss. Jones and continue your background research as well as finding out who is helping those two inside the prison system?"

Hetty's request to find Nell confirmed Eric's suspicions that she had deliberately not requested his partner's return for the rest of the video. He nodded his thanks to her and got a knowing smile in return. He swallowed, wondering exactly what it was she knew and then quickly left the room in search of Nell.

"Gentlemen, now that you've both seen the video and we've gotten what we could from it, it's time for our next move. If you would be so kind as to finally comply with my orders to go home and rest, I'll contact the hospital director and put our plan into motion."

Granger added "I'm going to bring Director Vance up to speed. He requested an update from me after we watched the video."

It was a silent group who left ops and split up, each headed their own way, lost in their own thoughts.


	61. Chapter 61

Chapter 61

The next morning, Callen walked the hospital corridor quietly, carrying two cups of coffee, one for him and one for Kensi. She'd been here all yesterday afternoon and last night and could probably use a decent cup. Hospital coffee was notoriously bad. Nell was going to come in shortly to relieve her but he was pretty sure she would be resistant, hence the caffeine. He got into the elevator and thought about the op they were going to run on one of their own. It still bothered him to know that an NCIS agent was working with such a sick, sadistic bastard as McGonagle. He ran through the different scenarios in his head. The hospital had been more than cooperative in allowing this to happen, as long as NCIS guaranteed no other patient or hospital employee would be harmed. The rooms surrounding "Deeks's" would be empty with one exception.

The op should be simple. Deeks would be in another room under an assumed name, one of the team guarding him. He would be in Deeks's room with a clueless NCIS agent on guard. Hetty had already sent out a request for assistance in guarding Deeks and the response had been overwhelming. With so many to choose from, it had been decided to break them up into rotating four hour shifts. Hopefully, the mole would be on one of the first shifts and they could end this. He wasn't looking forward to spending days lying on his back, a fake ventilator attached to his face. Eric had already been in and set up the room earmarked by the hospital for "Deeks" to be moved to. They had full camera angles covering every inch of the room as well as the hallway outside it, plus the room was wired for sound. He would be on comms with ops at all times. Anyone attempting to hurt Deeks would be in for a very unpleasant surprise.

Getting off the elevator on the ICU floor he nodded to the nurses who suspiciously watched him walk by. They were all spooked by the earlier events and, if he wasn't mistaken, most of the female nurses had already taken a shine to the detective and were now in full blown protection mode. He shook his head, wondering how Deeks did it, without even being conscious. Knowing this might be a possibility, he'd made sure his badge was prominently displayed on his belt. Slowing, he looked in the observation window to Deeks's room and saw Kensi sitting in a chair with her head on the bed, as close to his as she could get with all the equipment, sound asleep. He frowned. This was not the way to guard someone; anyone could walk in and take her by surprise if she was sleeping.

Forming the words of the lecture he planned to deliver after he woke her up, he quietly pushed open the door and stepped in, only to find himself staring down the barrel of the gun aimed at his head by a fully awake Kensi Blye. She lowered the gun and said "Jeez, Callen! Don't you know any better? You should have knocked and announced yourself before coming in. I could have hurt you!" Spying the coffee cups in his hand her anger faded. "Is one of those for me?" He nodded and held it out to her. She grabbed it and chugged about half. Lowering the cup she grinned at him. "Okay, you're forgiven! Maybe you just need to brush up on your guard duty protocols when this is all over." His jaw dropped open as he realized he had just been chastised by the woman he'd been planning on chastising when he first walked in the door. He closed his mouth and chuckled. After all this time working together, she could still surprise him.

He nodded towards Deeks and said "How's our boy doing?"

"He had a quiet night. Moira stopped in before going off shift and checked him out. We're still on for moving him out of ICU today. Craig also stopped in before he went home. He stayed for a while and we talked. He's very curious about Deeks, asked all kinds of questions, and he might have snuck a few in about Talia. I only gave him vague answers and some funny stories, ones I knew would make Deeks smile as well. The nurses have been in and out all the time. Not sure why they felt it necessary to be in here so often." Kensi sounded miffed and this confirmed Callen's thinking that the nurses had their eyes on him, girlfriend sitting at his side or not.

"Maybe they just felt bad that he was attacked in their ward and they wanted to assure themselves that it didn't happen again." He said, trying to smooth her ruffled feathers. It worked and she quickly lost interest in the nurses.

"Are we all set for this afternoon?"

He nodded and filled her in on what had happened so far. When the time came, another bed would be wheeled into Deeks's ICU room and Callen would be the one wheeled out and placed in the prepped room. Deeks would already have been moved to another room in ICU and would be taken out later to be placed in a room on another floor with Kensi guarding him. He told her how many people had volunteered to stand guard and that they had a cover story ready as to why none of his team was part of it. Kensi would have been ordered to go home to get some food and sleep and the rest of them would be working leads, determined to be the ones to locate their quarry. Their hope was that the mole would try to force his way onto one of the first shifts and make his move quickly.

Callen took a breath and said "Nell should be here in about an hour to relieve you." He waited for the fury of his junior agent and wasn't disappointed.

"There's no way I'm leaving him again! You need to get that through your head _right_ now!"

"We need to sell this, Kens. If you're here, everyone will expect you to be with him and it could mean that the mole will get suspicious if you aren't. We still don't know if she or he'll act against Deeks himself or find some way to let McGonagle into the room to do it himself. Nell will go with me, as Deeks, to the room and will eventually be relieved by the next person on rotation. You'll leave the building but we'll sneak you back in as a patient who'll be assigned to the room next to the real Deeks. We made sure that the rooms were adjoining through the bathroom. You'll be able to exit your room and go into his without having to go into the corridor. You'll be ready and waiting for the real Deeks when he gets there."

"Who watches him in ICU after you're taken away, if I'm not there?"

"Wolinksy is going to be here undercover as an orderly tasked with changing the bandages on the patient Deeks will become. He'll watch over Deeks until we can move him as well."

"Wolinsky? You do remember that rookie hit Deeks over the head a few months back? I know they've become friends but how do we know can we trust him? It's pretty much a given that there's a mole in LAPD too!"

"Deeks has been working with him on his training and Bates has faith in him. We can't let it be another NCIS agent from OSP. If the mole shows up early, any one of us would be recognized. Bates confirmed that they haven't told anyone at LAPD about this. He's waiting to see if anyone approaches him." He had held back the best news for her until now, knowing he would have to mollify her somehow. "The hospital has agreed to put a cot in the real Deeks's room for you. You won't have to leave him again after this. We just have to get through an hour or so as everyone gets into place."

"Where will Sam be?"

"He's going to be a patient in the room across from the one I'll be in. Hetty is planning on bandaging his face so he won't be recognizable. We'll all be on comms, including you."

Kensi wanted to argue but she knew he was right and she wanted this over with. She didn't want to keep waiting for another attack on him, an attack that might succeed next time. She was grateful they'd put the cot in his room for her, understanding her need to be there. She sighed deeply and nodded her assent. Callen pulled her into a hug but didn't tell her it would all work out, they all knew the risks of any op, even one that was as carefully planned out as this one. The human factor was all that was needed to send things sideways.

Pulling away from her, he said "I've got to head into the Mission to meet with everyone and to get prepped. Moira said they'd be moving him around 3, so I'll be back here before then. Keep your chin up Fern; we'll get him through this."

Kensi just stared at him, shocked to hear the nickname come from an unfamiliar mouth. Her lips quirked as Callen stared at her, waiting for her reaction. He smiled and they both started to laugh. It felt good. There hadn't been much to laugh about the last few days. He patted her shoulder and left. She turned back to Deeks, sat next to the bed and quietly filled him in on all that was going on.

~,~,~,~

"No!"

"Mr. Callen."

"No, no, no!"

"Mr. Callen!"

"Come on G, take one for the team!" Callen could hear the laughter in his partner's voice and he glared at him, holding the offending item between his fingertips as far away from his body as he could. He would not, under any circumstances, put this, this thing on. He looked around the motel room where they were staging for the op and saw the smiles on everyone's faces.

"You're all against me, every last one of you!"

Eric just had to chime in "Think of it like putting on a superhero's costume."

"Superhero, Eric? Seriously? What, Dork Man?"

Eric just grinned back at him. The rest waited, knowing that Hetty would bully him into it sooner or later.

"Can't you just bandage my head?" he whined.

"No, Mr. Callen. Everyone is already aware of the injuries sustained by Mr. Deeks and bandages would be inconsistent."

"Well, maybe no one would notice the difference." He said desperately.

"Are you willing to take a chance on Mr. Deeks's life to prove that theory?"

His shoulders sagged, knowing he was beaten. "Okay, okay. I'll wear it."

"Very good." Hetty reached out, plucked the item from his fingertips and motioned for him to bend down to her height. She pulled the curly blonde wig onto his head and he stood back up just in time for the flash on Sam's phone to go off, snapping his picture. "Now, was that so hard?"

He looked in the mirror and was appalled. "I look like Shirley Temple!"

"Nonsense. Besides, when you're lying in the bed with the ventilator covering a good portion of your lower face, no one will notice anything except that you have long blonde hair, just like Mr. Deeks."

He turned a disbelieving face to the rest of his team, which allowed everyone to get their first full on look at the new and improved Special Agent G Callen. The laughter that followed was good for them. He glared at Sam "If that picture shows up anywhere, there will be no place for you to hide on this planet."

"Would I do that to you, partner?"

"Yes. As a matter of fact, you would!"

"I promise it won't show up on any social media sites, won't be printed out and pasted around the Mission."

Callen looked at him suspiciously. Somehow he knew that he was missing something. "And you won't send it via text, email or any other means, to anyone else, not even those inside this room?"

"Promise." Sam said, hoping his partner was sufficiently distracted to not require his promise about whether or not to _show_ the picture to anyone else. He knew Kensi would get a laugh out of it and when Deeks woke up, he had every intention of showing him what Callen looked like trying to play him.

"Now. Mr. Hanna, please allow Eric to bandage your head. Mr. Callen, you will remove the wig and put it back on once inside Mr. Deeks's ICU room. Dr. Shaughnessy will be waiting to mimic Mr. Deeks's bandages on you and to put you on the fake ventilator. Does everyone understand their roles?" There were nods all around. "Very well, Mr. Hanna, once you are bandaged, you will be escorted out to the waiting ambulance by Owen, who will be undercover as an EMT. He will take you to the hospital where Mr. Trent will be waiting in the ER to admit you under the name Parker West. You will be taken up to your room immediately. Miss. Jones has already "relieved" Miss. Blye who has reentered the hospital as Christine Brill. An earwig was left in her room and she will be on comms with the rest of us. When Mr. Callen is taken out of ICU, Miss. Jones will accompany him. When all focus is on the new room for Mr. Deeks, the real Mr. Deeks will be taken to the room where Miss. Blye is waiting for him, under the name Kyle Shaw. Mr. Beale and Miss. Jones have already backstopped all the aliases."

She paused and said "Again, Mr. Callen will be Mr. Deeks." Callen nodded.

"Mr. Hanna, you will be Parker West." Sam looked at her suspiciously, wondering if his alias's name was a subtle dig about the Parker Pony incident a couple Christmases ago. He nodded.

"Miss. Blye is under the name Christine Brill and Mr. Deeks under the name Kyle Shaw. Please make sure you keep all of them straight."

Callen listened to Hetty in surprise. This was not the first time they had all gone undercover with different names. She'd never felt the need to drill their aliases into their heads before. He was starting to think that she was more worried about McGonagle than she let on.

Eric finished his work with Sam, who left in the ambulance with Granger. Callen left next, headed back to the hospital where Deeks's empty room awaited him, having heard that they'd moved him already. The only thing that worried him was that someone would be watching and notice that he'd gone into Deeks's room but never come out. The hope was that all focus would be on "Deeks".

Everything went smoothly when he arrived at ICU, other than Nell bursting into smothered giggles when he put the wig on. Moira bandaged him up and he lay down on the bed. She adjusted all the machines and the portable ventilator on him, taped an IV line to his arm, attached the face mask but, obviously, not placing it down his throat. When everything was ready, Nell went out first, playing her part of the protector, watching everyone suspiciously as he was wheeled out of the room and into the waiting elevator. They made it to the room without incident where they tried to make him more comfortable. Eventually he was left alone, Nell taking her place outside his door. He lay there and listened to the machines beep and unpleasant memories rose up. He'd lain like this after being shot, attached to machines and not able to move, not able to do anything for himself. When this was over and Deeks was on the mend, he would make a point to share his story with him, let him know he understood any anger and frustration the younger man would experience. He knew Deeks had been shot that one time, but it hadn't been as serious and he hadn't needed to be hooked up like _this_.

He tensed when he heard Nell greet her relief. The first one up was Jim Franklin. After Nell had said her goodbyes, Franklin stuck his head in the door and Callen tensed a little. He relaxed when he heard Jim say quietly "Hey Deeks. It's Jim. Don't worry, buddy, I got your back. Only way anyone gets by me is through my dead body. We're all rooting for you!" The man ducked back outside and took up his position. It was a long, boring four hours. Sam and the others tried to help by talking to him over the comms even though he couldn't respond. They couldn't turn the television on as they needed to be able to hear everything that went on in the room and outside the door.

The next excitement he got was when Franklin handed off his assignment to the next agent. This time it was Charlie Porter. While Porter didn't stick his head in like Franklin had, it was another uneventful four hours, the only sounds he heard was when Porter chatted up one of the night nurses. It was now late in the evening and everyone was starting to second guess themselves. Maybe this wouldn't work. Maybe there really wasn't a mole at NCIS. The next change of guard happened as Jay Carson relieved Porter. Half an hour later, they hit pay dirt. Carson looked up and down the hallway and pulled something out of his pocket. He entered the room quietly and approached the bed. Reaching out, he raised the needle and injected something into the IV line. He looked around the room and put the syringe back into his pocket, heading out quietly. He closed the door behind him without a sound and turned around to find a very angry Sam Hanna pointing his gun at him.

"Hands up Carson, you're under arrest for treason and attempted murder."

Carson slowly raised his hands and said "I have no idea what you're talking about. I didn't try to murder anyone."

Sam reached out and pulled the syringe out of Carson's pocket. "What exactly did you inject Deeks with?"

Carson knew he was caught and just smiled. "Potassium chloride. There's nothing you can do to help him now, he should be dead within minutes. I want a lawyer."

The door opened behind him and Callen stepped out, bandages hanging from him although Sam noticed immediately that the wig was gone. "Good thing the IV line was just taped to my arm and not actually inserted into a vein then, isn't it?" He'd pulled out his own gun and was also covering Carson. Tapping his earwig, he said. "Eric, we got all that, right?"

"Every second."

"Great. Thanks Eric!" He looked at his partner. "We'll want to take the IV line into evidence as well" Sam nodded as footsteps sounded down the hallway and Granger came into view, Hetty following him, moving quickly as she tried to keep up. The Assistant Director was beyond furious and was heading towards Carson with a single minded determination. As angry as the rest of them were with Carson, they knew they needed him in one piece to see what information they could get out of him.

Callen kept his gun trained on Carson while Sam turned to intercept their bosses. "Granger! We've got him dead to rights. We're going to take him to the boatshed and see what we can get out of him. We need him coherent to do that!"

Granger stopped and looked at Sam, taking a moment to register the man's words. He nodded slowly and then looked at Carson. A feral smile crossed his face as he said "I'm sure Mr. Carson will be more than forthcoming on exactly why he just attacked a federal agent, committed treason by turning on his own agency and conspired with a known fugitive." Carson swallowed hard and allowed himself to be lead away by Sam.

Callen turned to Hetty and said "While we've got Carson, we still don't know who else out that might be working for McGonagle. We need to keep Deeks under wraps until we have both him and Robinson."

Over comms they heard Kensi's agreement. "Callen's right. If it's okay with everyone, I'll stay with him. If someone could get some clothes from my place and bring them to Christine's room?"

Nell responded over comms from ops "I'll go Kens. I know what you like."

"Thanks Nell, you're a good friend."

"Any time, Kens. Tell Shaggy, Velma is thinking of him!"

Kensi's chuckle sounded in their ears. "Will do….Velma. Guys, keep me in the loop as to what you find out from Carson?"

"Of course, Miss. Blye. That goes without saying." Hetty said. "You are now on permanent protection detail until we conclude this matter. I'll update Dr. Shaughnessy and the hospital director that our plan worked but that we need to keep both of you under your assumed names for the foreseeable future."

"Thanks, Hetty."

Granger and Hetty exchanged looks and Granger finally said "Let's head to the boatshed, shall we?" Hetty's smile was as feral as his.

Callen followed the Assistant Director and his Operations Manager from the hospital, glad that neither one was gunning for him.

~,~,~,~

A/N – Thanks to yellowcallalily for the suggestion that Callen has to wear a blond, shaggy wig to go undercover as Deeks. Per her suggestion, it also won't be the last time this is brought up!


	62. Chapter 62

A/N - This chapter was already started when I got a review from OhBuddy66 with an idea that sent me off in a slightly different direction. That led to a rewrite of the beginning. Thanks!

A/N 2 - As always, thanks to honus47 for reviewing!

~,~,~,~

Chapter 62

Nell pulled up to Deeks's place. She'd debated going to Kensi's but figured her friend had just as many clothes here as at her apartment and it would give her a chance to let Monty out and give him some well needed attention. They'd all been taking turns with the dog since Kensi'd been allowed to stay with Deeks, but she knew he must be missing his people. She let herself in with the key they'd given her for emergencies and never noticed the car parked up the street. She turned on the light and was met by an ecstatic Monty who kept rolling over for belly rubs. She laughed at him and sat on the floor to give him the love he was looking for.

She finally got up, let him out to do his business and went up to their room, feeling somewhat uncomfortable about invading their privacy. She opened the closet and pulled out a duffle bag that was exactly where Kensi'd told her it would be. She threw some comfortable clothes, sweats, t-shirts and underwear into the bag. Moving into the master bathroom, she grabbed some toiletries. The combination of their stuff, co-mingling on the shower shelf, under the sink and in the medicine cabinet, caused her breath to hitch. Deeks just had to be okay. She couldn't imagine one without the other and the sight of all their things, in one place, just felt right.

Finished, she turned out the light and headed back downstairs. She let Monty back in and put some food in his dish. She was surprised when the mellow pup looked up from his dish and bared his teeth, a low growl rumbling deep in his throat. She turned in time to see a figure headed her way. Her training kicked in and she dove behind the breakfast bar, scrambling to pull her gun out. She held it out in front of her and watched the dog do a stiff legged walk out of her line of vision, the growling growing in volume. Popping up she yelled "Federal Agent" and ducked just as a bullet whizzed by her head. She heard a scream and popped up again to see Monty hanging off the man she know recognized as Carl Robinson, his teeth buried deep in the man's thigh. She yelled "Federal Agent, drop your weapon!" just as he hit Monty in the head with his gun. The dog yelped and let go, collapsing to the ground. He drew back his leg to kick the downed dog and Nell fired, catching him in the shoulder. He turned and ran out the now open front door.

She ran after him but he wasn't in sight when she reached the door. She carefully stepped out in time to see a car racing by, a gun aimed out the window. She ducked back inside and heard another bullet hit the door where her head had just been. She stuck her head back outside in time to see it disappear around the corner. She pulled out her phone and called ops as she raced back inside to check on Monty. The dog was breathing but out cold.

"Nell?"

"Eric, I'm at Deeks's place! Robinson was just here. I shot him in the shoulder but he got away. Monty attacked him after he shot at me. I'm going to take him to the vet; I think he might be hurt bad!" She had the name and address of Monty's vet from the various times she had watched the dog when Deeks and Kensi were away.

"Wait, what? Robinson was there and shot at you? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, thanks to Monty. Can you search traffic cams for the area around here to see if you can find a black Chevy Malibu heading east, away from here?"

"On it!"

"Let me know what you find out. Let Sam and Callen know that he was here and waiting. Maybe they can find out if Carson was the one who provided Robinson with Deeks's address. I'm heading to the vet now and then I'll head back to the hospital. "

"Will do. I'll also start checking local hospitals for gunshot wounds but you heard them on the tape, Parks has his own network of doctors so Robinson'll probably head to one of them. Please, Nell, stay safe! Come back to me in one piece!"

"Always, Eric."

She hung up from him and slung the duffle over her shoulder and gently picked up Monty. Thank goodness he wasn't a large dog; she could barely manage him as it was. She placed the dog gently in the back seat of her Mini Cooper and threw the bag in the front. She ran back up to the house and locked it up. She ran back to the car and took a moment to run her hand over Monty's head. "You stay with us, you hear? The last thing Kensi needs is for you to die on her. And Deeks would be devastated without his little buddy. Please, Monty, please be okay!" She wiped the tears from her face and sped away to the vet.

~,~,~,~

Kensi looked up from the sight of her fingers linked with Deeks. The knock on the bathroom door was almost immediately followed by the sound of Nell's voice.

"Kensi? It's me. I brought your clothes."

"Come on in."

Nell entered the room with a small bag full of clothes and toiletries. She handed them to Kensi and looked at Deeks.

"How is he?"

"He's doing good. The move down here didn't seem to have any negative impact. Moira says she might be able to take him off the ventilator either tomorrow or the next day."

"That's great news!"

"It really is. Any news on Carson?"

"They've taken him to the boatshed but he asked for a lawyer as soon as they arrested him here. I think the boys are going to try to get something out of him before that happens." She looked at Kensi's rumpled clothes. "Why don't you go take a shower and get into some clean clothes? I'll guard him while you're gone." She lifted the edge of her shirt to show she had her gun.

"You're a god send Nell. I won't be long." Kensi moved into the bathroom and shut the door. The shared bathroom had a shower stall, unlike most of them.

Nell heard the water start and then moved over to the bed. She stared down at his pale, quiet form and reached out to stroke the side of his face. "You need to come back to us, Shaggy. She needs you. We all need you. It's not the same at OSP without you. There's no one to make silly comments to break the tension. No one to give us new nicknames. You were already here when I started but I've heard stories from Eric. Kensi was reckless and so closed off. He says you've changed her, for the better. She's my best friend; I don't want to see her go back to that. He said it wasn't as much fun to be around her back then. I can't even imagine that. You need to know that I just had to take Monty to the vet. Robinson was waiting at your place and Monty saved my life. He's going to be just fine, he's just a little bruised, nothing was broken but they're keeping him overnight. He's my hero, just like you." She looked up when the water turned off. Leaning down, she kissed him on the cheek and whispered in his ear. "We love you Shaggy."

When Kensi came back into the room, dressed in fresh clothes and looking more human, she found Nell sitting by his bedside, his hand in hers. With any other woman, the jealousy would have raised its ugly head but Nell was like her sister and Deeks was Nell's surrogate big brother. She knew her friend was worried about him and that she cared about him very much but, something was off.

"Nell?"

"What?"

"What's wrong?"

"What? Nothing, nothing's wrong."

"Nell, I know you. There's something wrong and you need to tell me what it is, right now."

"Why is it I can never keep anything from you?"

"So there is something! Out with it Nell!"

Nell sighed and said "Robinson was waiting at Deeks's place when I got there. I had just gotten your clothes together and let Monty back in. He took a shot at me and Monty attacked him. Robinson hit him and then I shot him in the shoulder. Monty's with the vet, who says he should be just fine."

"That bastard! How about you? Are you okay?" She ran a practiced eye over Nell's body, looking for telltale signs of injuries.

"I'm fine." She looked back down at Deeks. "I just wish I'd aimed for the heart."

"No, you don't. You were following your training, trying to keep yourself safe and at the same time, take a suspect alive to find out what he knows. You'll never be someone who'll kill another for revenge. Did you let OSP know?"

"Yeah, I spoke to Eric and he's trying to locate him on traffic cams and he's checking the hospitals."

"This has to end. We can only hope that Carson gives us something we can use!"

"You know they'll do everything they can."

"I know." She yawned widely.

"Hetty told me to stay as long as I was needed. You want to take a quick nap?"

"I'm not sure I can sleep now. "

"Try anyways; I'll keep watch over him."

Kensi smiled. "Thanks Nell." She lay down on the cot and was asleep in seconds. Nell knew she must be exhausted to able to sleep right now. She turned back to Deeks and started to softly talk to him, telling him about her family back home.

~,~,~,~

"He's insisting on a lawyer. Won't say anything else." Callen said as he and Sam walked into the main room of the boatshed where Granger was watching the interrogation on the monitor.

"Maybe he'll talk to me."

"We need him alive, Granger." Callen raised an eyebrow at the Assistant Director.

"Oh, he'll be...alive...when I'm done."

Granger started towards the room where Carson waited when Eric popped up on the monitor. "Callen?"

"Tell me you found something Eric."

Eric nodded and said "Yup! Foreign and domestic."

"Thanks man!" Callen turned and grinned at Sam. He looked at Granger. "Let us have one more crack at him." Granger nodded.

Carson looked up when the two came back through the door and immediately said "I want my lawyer."

Callen sat down and smirked at him. "You're a federal agent; you know what the Patriot Act is."

"I do and, as I'm not a terrorist, it doesn't apply to me."

"You work for McGonagle, McGonagle works for Parks. Parks is an arms dealer who has sold weapons to terrorists both foreign and domestic. Ergo, you work for a terrorist and everything you've done _does_ fall under the Patriot Act."

"Ergo, G?" asked Sam.

"Word of the day from that calendar you gave me for Christmas last year. Didn't think I'd actually get the chance to use it today."

"Good job, good job. Glad to see you expanding your vocabulary."

Carson looked from one to the other, not sure if he should take what they were saying seriously or not. "You'll never make it stick."

Callen slammed his hands down on the table and said "You committed treason and attacked a federal agent."

"I didn't know it was a federal agent in that room, I thought it was Deeks!"

"Deeks _is_ a federal agent." Said Sam.

Carson's hands clenched on the table but he didn't say anything. Sam and Callen noticed his reaction but didn't look at each other.

"Why did you agree to kill a federal agent for McGonagle? Especially this one? You had to know that Deeks is an integral part of my team and no one, all the way up to Director Vance, would let this go!" said Callen.

"He isn't an agent! He's just a stupid LAPD cop! He shouldn't been given that spot on your team! That should have been mine! I was senior agent when Dom went missing. I'm sorry about what happened to him, I really am, but there is no way that scruffy cop should have been assigned to your team! Everyone knows it's the elite team, the one that gets all the high profile cases, all the glory! It should have been me, not him!"

The door opened and Hetty stood there. "And that, Mr. Carson, is exactly why you would never have been given a spot on Mr. Callen's team, whether Mr. Deeks accepted the Liaison position or not. Now, you need to cooperate with us or I will do everything in my power to see you sent to Gitmo for a very, _very_ long time."

Carson looked from Hetty to the two agents in front of him and his shoulders slumped. "McGonagle approached me at a bar a couple months ago. I didn't know who he was. He was just someone who struck up a conversation. We hit it off and one night, I got a little drunk and complained about Deeks taking what I had expected to be my spot. I was angry and when he felt me out about giving him some information on Deeks, I thought I could get Deeks in trouble, off the team and make a little extra on the side at the same time. I never thought he wanted to kill him! I gave McGonagle what he wanted in exchange for a significant amount of money to me, pocket change to him. It wasn't much info, just his background, what he did for NCIS, who he was partnered with; if I knew any place he went to all the time. By the time I found out why he wanted the information, he already had it all. I still don't see it as betraying NCIS! He wasn't, and isn't, an NCIS agent."

"Mr. Deeks's is close as anyone can ever come without actually being an agent, Mr. Carson, and he is as important to us as any other NCIS agent at OSP. Where is Mr. McGonagle?" Asked Hetty.

"I don't know. I never had an address for him. He only contacted me by burner phone or at the bar."

"Did you kill Officer Pastor? Did you help McGonagle escape from his custody?" asked Callen.

"No. I got a call after Deeks went missing and was just told that if I heard anything about him being found, to be sure to be on the rescue team and to be on the east side of whatever building we were searching, if I couldn't get them a warning in time to close up shop. I was to make sure it was clear of everyone, federal or cop. I just did what I was told and McGonagle showed up, already free. I just made sure the coast was clear and didn't sound the alarm."

"Did you give out information on any other agents?" asked Sam. Carson looked at him and knew the answer was likely to get him hurt. He didn't respond. Sam asked again " _Did_ you give out information on any _other_ agents?!"

"You need to understand, I was in too deep at that point. I'd given out confidential information on Deeks in exchange for payment. He threatened to let NCIS know I was a mole. It would have been the end of my career! Plus, McGonagle? He's insane. I was in fear for my life!"

"I'm only going to ask you one more time. Did you give out information on any other agents?" At this point, Sam was standing, his fists clenched by his sides.

Softly he said "Yes."

Callen stood up and put his hands on his partner's chest as he started towards Carson. "Sam! You need to step outside."

"He gave out information on me, G. On my family! McGonagle knew Michelle's name, knew I have kids. He could know where I live."

"No! I didn't give out your address! And I only gave them Deeks's yesterday."

"And he sent Robinson to watch Deeks's place where he attacked Nell Jones today, shot at her, twice!" said Callen.

"I didn't know that would happen! I never wanted anyone to get hurt other than Deeks!"

"So you knew Deeks was going to be abducted and tortured and you let it happen?" Callen looked at him incredulously.

"No, I mean I knew they were going to take him but I never knew anything about torture, I thought they were just going to rough him up a little! I would have given myself up if I had known what was going to happen. Once it was over, there was nothing I could do."

"Nothing but let that sick bastard escape and then try to kill Deeks yourself! How much was Deeks's life worth?" Sam yelled.

Carson cringed back in his chair, trying to put as much distance between himself and the furious ex-Seal. "Ten grand but I didn't have a choice by then!"

"Were you working with anyone from LAPD?" asked Hetty.

"No. If McGonagle has someone in LAPD, he never mentioned it to me."

"Were you working with anyone else at NCIS?" Asked Callen.

"No! Again, if he had anyone else inside NCIS, he never told me!"

Callen turned away from him in disgust. "I doubt we'll get anymore from him right now. Let's leave him alone to see if he can come up with any additional information that will help us…" he looked back at Carson "…and himself."

The others nodded and left the room, leaving the defeated soon-to-be ex-NCIS agent sitting at the table. Outside they walked up to where Granger had been watching on the screen. He turned to them and said "Do you believe he's told us everything he knows?"

"Yeah, I don't think he's hiding anything from us at this point." Said Callen. "What I don't understand is why the significant amount of money he mentioned getting paid never showed up in our financial analysis." He picked up his phone and dialed Eric.

"Yo Callen. Did you get what you needed from Carson?"

"We did, Eric. Thanks for the info on Parks; it was just what we needed. He said that McGonagle paid him money for inside information. Did _nothing_ turn up in his financials?"

"No, nothing. He does have a safety deposit box at Pacific National. Do you want me to initiate getting a warrant for it? We have probable cause now."

"Yeah, do it. He wasn't able to give us any information on who, or if, there's a mole inside LAPD. Keep looking into everyone, including the other NCIS agents, just in case Carson wasn't the only one here."

"Got it."

Callen hung up and turned back to the group. "Ok, we've probably plugged the leak here but we still don't know about LAPD. Deeks could still be in danger and we're no closer to getting McGonagle or Robinson." His frustration was clear in his voice.

Granger stood thoughtfully. "We have Carson's personal effects. Was his cell phone among them?"

"Yeah." Said Sam.

"Get it. McGonagle may not know yet that Carson was caught. We'll have Carson call and tell him Deeks is dead and that he wants his payment."

"Do you think we can trust him to not tip McGonagle off?" Asked Callen.

"It's the only play we have right now if we want to end this any time soon."

Grabbing the personal effects envelope, Callen dug out Carson's cell phone. He walked back into the room with Granger. Sam had tried to go with them but the others had felt he was compromised, which hadn't set well with the big man. Hetty elected to stay back with him.

Carson looked up when the door opened, afraid to see Sam entering. He wasn't sure he was any happier to see Granger. The man had a reputation. Callen threw the phone down in front of him. "You're going to call McGonagle right now. You're going to tell him that you succeeded and Deeks is dead. Set up a meet with him to get your payment, as soon as possible. Tell him you want to get out of town for a while until things die down and you need the money now."

"He'll kill me if he finds out I set him up. You saw what he did to Deeks and he wasn't even angry with him!"

"I can always go get Sam and leave you two to work this out alone." Growled Granger.

Carson swallowed hard and picked up the phone. He dialed the burner number but got voicemail. "Hi. It's Carson. It's done and I want my payment. Things are getting too hot around here right now and I want to get out of town for a while. I need the money now. Call me as soon as you get this."

He hung up and said "It's done. Now what?"

"Now we wait."


	63. Chapter 63

A/N – I try to respond to all reviews as soon as they come in, but don't always get the chance, then I lose track of those I thanked and those I didn't. So, let this be thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed and/or favorited this short (cough, cough) story. Special thanks to everyone who has given me a suggestion or prompt, this wouldn't have been the same without you! I would have run out of ideas long ago. DON'T SAY IT!

A/N2 – Thanks to honus47, as always, for taking the time to review!

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Chapter 63

Eric stared at his screen, missing his partner. He was still digging through the financials of everyone who had turned up at the scene, and there were a lot of them. Nothing had popped on his first initial pass through and now he was digging deeper. The door to ops opened and he never even heard it, he was so focused. He startled when a hand came down on his shoulder. "How ya doing there, Beale?"

"Nell! I'm _so_ glad you're back!"

He leapt up and pulled her into a hug. They stood that way for a while, neither wanting to talk about the fact that she'd been in a fire fight with one of their fugitives earlier that day, just glad that she was there, safe and in his arms. Stepping back, he held her at arm's length and looked her over head to foot, looking for any damage to her body. "You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine! Monty saved my life today."

"Remind me to buy him a big bone later."

"I'll hold you to that!"

"How's Deeks? How's Kensi holding up? Does she know about Carson?"

"He's doing good; Kensi said they might be able to take him off the ventilator in the next day or so."

"That's good news, right?"

"Yup! And Kensi is holding up as well as can be expected. I offered to stay with Shaggy while she took a nap. She said she wouldn't be able to sleep but was gone just about the second her head hit the pillow. I didn't bring up Carson, I wasn't sure Hetty would want me to so I just left it alone."

"She must be exhausted."

"She napped for a couple hours. When she woke up she seemed better and we talked for a little bit. Once I was sure she was okay, I headed back here." She smiled up at him. "Have you found anything?"

"No. I did my first pass but found nothing. We now know that Carson was paid off but we think maybe he hid it in a safe deposit box he has at Pacific National, because nothing showed up in any of his accounts."

"Maybe he was the only mole?"

"I doubt it. Someone killed Pastor and helped McGonagle escape. According to Carson, it wasn't him. And you won't believe his reasoning for getting in bed with these guys! He said Deeks stole his place on Callen's team and he took this as an opportunity to get rid of him! The money was secondary!"

"Why would he think that?"

"We don't know. Hetty pretty much told him that he would never have been asked, Deeks or no Deeks."

"Wow. I don't even know what to say! He's obviously delusional."

"You can say that again."

Nell opened her mouth to do just that and Eric put a finger against her lips and smiled down at her. The smile faded as he said "It's just so frustrating, you know? I want to help find the people who hurt Deeks. I want to help make them pay, but I don't seem to be getting anywhere."

"Well, what do we know about LAPD SWAT teams?"

"I looked them up. The main positions are sniper, spotter, weapons expert, scout, communications and lead." He ticked the positions off on his fingers. "Hiller is the lead."

"So, we know that the team LAPD sent didn't know that it was a cop they were there to rescue, correct?"

"Right. And we know LAPD knew, so why was the SWAT team in the dark?"

"Maybe we should concentrate on the communications officer. He would have been the one to take the assignment and brief everyone on what was going on. Was Pastor in that position?"

"Nope, he was the scout."

"So who was the communications officer?"

Eric turned to his computer. He tapped a few keys and said "That would be Stuart Kingsley. 48, married, one daughter. Nothing suspicious in his accounts to indicate that he's on the take."

"Okay, let's dig a little deeper. See if we can find anything out of the ordinary. Maybe he has a safe deposit box too."

They both started digging into Kingsleys's life. About fifteen minutes later, Eric found something that raised a red flag. "Look at this. His daughter attends a very exclusive school. Pretty pricey on an LAPD salary."

"Wife?"

He tapped a few more keys. "Nope, stay at home mom, no family money on either side. Tuition is two thousand a month. I'm not seeing any withdrawals from their accounts to make those payments, yet the school shows he's current." With relative ease, he broke into the school's records. "The payments are made each month by cashier's check but there are no corresponding withdrawals from any accounts in either of their names."

Nell kept searching. "His credit card bills are pretty high each month too. Lots of high end purchases. Each one paid in full. Also, by cashier's check. Wife is driving a brand new SUV, no car loan. They also took two vacations last year, neither one exactly budget friendly and no huge withdrawals to pay for them."

They looked at each other. "I think we found our LAPD mole!" They both said.

Nell said "Jinx!' and hit him in the shoulder. He instantly grabbed the spot and moaned. She giggled and he felt better about her frame of mind after the experience earlier in the day.

"We'd better tell Callen and Sam." Eric said as he reached for the phone.

~,~,~,~

Down in the boatshed Callen said "Thanks Eric." and hung up his phone. He turned to the others and said "Eric and Nell think they found the LAPD mole. It's the communications officer on Hiller's SWAT team. He would have been the one to take the assignment and brief his team. Most likely he was told to make sure the SWAT team wasn't on extra high alert, the kind that knowing it was a fellow cop in danger would engender regardless of how well liked or not the cop was. He sent me this guy Kingsleys's home address. Do we bring him in or do we inform Bates?"

Hetty answered "Neither. Put a team on him, watch his every move, but let's not give away what we know, or think we know, just yet. If Mr. Kingsley goes missing and Mr. Carson is uncharacteristically asking for his money immediately, we may spook them. We wait until after the meet, then we decide on what to do in regards to our friend at the LAPD."

"Franklin and Porter. They were both on guard duty and neither one made any effort to hurt Deeks." Said Callen.

"Good choices, Mr. Callen. Mr. Hanna, please brief them as soon as possible and let them know that they are not, under any circumstances, to discuss this with anyone but myself, Owen and the rest of your team. They also are not to engage Mr. Kingsley unless absolutely necessary. "

"Why I am doing the briefing?" Griped Sam, well aware of the reason but wanting to see if Hetty would admit it.

"You need to put some space between yourself and Mr. Carson, Mr. Hanna. Please do as I ask and then return. I assure you, we will not proceed with anything until your return."

Sam huffed and looked to his partner for backup but Callen just shrugged. He, too, knew the big guy needed some time to calm down before he took Carson's head off. Sam glared at him and stormed out.

"He's not happy." Said Callen.

"Do you disagree with me, Mr. Callen?"

Callen sighed. "No."

"We'll make sure Mr. Hanna is in place for the meeting. I wouldn't wish to deprive him of that satisfaction."

"What about Kensi?"

Granger answered. "As much as I'm sure she'd like to be in on this operation Callen, I think we can all agree that she's better off where she is. I'm not sure I would trust her not to shoot McGonagle on sight and it would be better to at least _attempt_ to take him alive, as much as I would prefer the alternative."

"Bates is going to be pissed that we kept him out of the loop on this." Said Callen.

Hetty found that she agreed. "Perhaps we can include Lt. Bates in our surveillance of the meet. I know he is as eager to get his hands on these two as we are." She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed a number.

"Lt. Bates? Henrietta Lange."

"You did? Yes, well, I wouldn't have expected any less."

"We've found the leak inside NCIS and are planning on using him to set up a meeting with Mr. McGonagle. We will be in place to take him into custody and thought you would like to be included."

"You _and_ Mr. Wolinsky?"

"Of course. I'll call you back when we have a time and place."

She hung up and looked at the two watching her. "Lt. Bates and Officer Wolinsky will be more than happy to attend out little party."

While she had had her run ins with Mr. Deeks's other boss over the years, she knew he was sincere in wanting to take down both the people who had done this to his detective and uncover any dirty cops in the LAPD house.

Callen nodded and the three of them sat down to wait for McGonagle to call Carson back on the phone sitting between them, in the middle of the table. This was the part of the job that drove him, and the rest of his team, nuts. Sitting and waiting. He got up to make a cup of coffee, sat down and drank it, got up to poke around in the cabinets, found nothing to hold his interest, sat back down at the table, got back up to browse through some of the old magazines on the coffee table, sat back down, started to get up again when Granger stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"If you don't stop this continual up and down, Callen, I may shoot you myself."

Callen smirked at him, pleased he'd gotten on the Assistant Director's nerves, even if that hadn't been the reason for his constant motion. He was restless. He wanted McGonagle and Robinson in custody, any and all moles uncovered and under arrest. He wanted to know that Deeks was safe. This team was his family and, when one of them was in trouble, it was hard to just sit still and do nothing. Even when nothing was the only thing they could do.

He was about to give Granger a smart ass answer, when the phone finally rang. Callen leaped up, grabbed it and took it into the interrogation room. He held it out to Carson and said. "Answer it. You say just what we agreed to, nothing more, do you understand me?"

Carson nodded and took the phone. "Carson."

"Hey, thanks for getting back to me so soon."

"Yeah, it's done. Far as they know, his heart just gave out. No, no one is any the wiser, but the heat is on. His team is on a rampage now that it's gone from assault to murder. I want to get out of town for a bit. I need my money."

"Ok, usual place, 7 PM. I'll be there."

He hung up and said "He's meeting me at the bar at 7."

Callen looked at his watch. "That gives us 2 hours to set up. Sam should be back any minute. He and I will be at the bar long before 7. Hetty and Granger will follow you there. You even think of making a run for it, you won't survive the first move."

Carson looked at Callen and knew he wasn't kidding. If he made any move to escape, this man would not hesitate to shoot him. He looked over at Hetty and Granger and saw the same look on their faces. He sighed and nodded.

Outside, Sam had returned and was waiting on them, filling them in on the briefing he'd given the two agents selected to follow Kingsley, both very happy to do so. He let them know he had returned in time to watch the meet being set up on the plasma.

Hetty nodded to him and said "Neither Mr. McGonagle nor Mr. Robinson should recognize the Lt. or Mr. Wolinsky. They'll be inside the bar, keeping an eye on our Mr. Carson and waiting for the meet to go down. Mr. Hanna, Mr. Callen, you'll be keeping watch from the street just outside the bar. Owen and I will be in the car, watching as well. I'll update Lt. Bates with the time and location."

She proceeded to do so while Sam and Callen worked out their covers for outside the bar.

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Lt. Roger Bates and Officer Stan Wolinsky sat in a booth in the back of O'Reilly's and kept watch on both the door and Carson. They were just minutes away from the time set for the meet and Wolinsky was surprisingly calm and Bates was pleased to see it. Sam was outside, dressed as a homeless man digging through the trash. Hetty and Granger were in the car, watching. Callen was standing in the doorway of an abandoned store a couple doors down, hidden in the shadows. All were on comms, including Carson.

"This is usually Shaggy's gig, G! How did I draw the short straw to play a homeless man?"

"You're too noticeable Sam. I told you, you need to stop working out so much. All those muscles make an impression on people."

"Ha! You're just jealous because you're getting flabby in your old age."

"I am NOT! I'll have you know I can keep up with anyone half my age!"

"Yeah, at the buffet!"

Just about to make a comeback, Callen heard his partner's voice change from lightly teasing to pissed off.

"Damn it." He said over the link.

"What's up Sam?" Callen was instantly on alert.

"It's Robinson. No sign of McGonagle." Sam replied.

"Well, it's not optimal, Mr. Hanna, but it will do. Mr. Robinson should be able to lead us to Mr. McGonagle. Lt. Bates, if you and Mr. Wolinsky would be so kind as to escort Mr. Carson back to the boatshed after Mr. Robinson leaves?" Asked Hetty. She received acknowledgement through the comms. She also heard Wolinsky complain about being left out of the action and his Lt. letting him know, in no uncertain terms, that this was just as much a part of the job as shoot outs and arrests. It would seem that the Lt. had a new protégé.

"Do we take him or do we tail him?" Asked Callen.

"We tail him. Mr. Hanna, do you see the car Mr. Robinson arrived in?"

"Yeah, it's a black Chevy Malibu, the same one he was driving when he took a shot at Nell."

"Tag it, please."

Sam shuffled over to the car and leaned down, pretending to dig through the trash on the sidewalk next to it. He carefully placed a GPS tracker in the front passenger wheel well. They all listened as Robinson approached Carson who was sitting at the bar.

"Carson."

"Robinson. I'm surprised McGonagle sent you out to do his messenger work. Figured he would have wanted blow by blow details of how our dear detective friend took his last breath."

Callen and Sam both tensed up. Listening to Carson talk about Deeks like that was just about enough for both of them to blow their cover and shoot him where he sat.

"Mr. Hanna. Mr. Callen. Remember what we're here for. It's not to take out Mr. Robinson or Mr. Carson just yet. We want Mr. McGonagle." Hetty stared at Owen sitting in the driver's seat, his hands white on the steering wheel. "That goes for you too, Owen."

Granger nodded and removed his hands from the wheel. He flexed his fingers and stared out the window at the bar, listening as Robinson responded.

"Sean is…a bit otherwise occupied at the moment. Our boss was not happy with the outcome of our assignment, nor with Sean's follow up attempt to rectify the situation. All you need to know is that he sent me with the money he owes you. He also wanted me to remind you. You talk, you die. Understood?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Just give me the money and I'm out of here. I already put in for two weeks' vacation. Planning on lying low on a beach somewhere until everyone calms down."

Robinson handed him an envelope and Carson opened it. Judging it all to be there, he nodded at the man, who then stood up and left the bar. Carson stood up as well, looking around, wondering if he could outrun the two LAPD lackeys that NCIS had placed at the bar with him. The thought had barely formed in his mind when a gun was placed up against his side. Bates growled in his ear. "Give me a reason. Just one." Carson nodded his understanding and the three of them left the bar to head back to the boat shed.

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Callen and Sam got back in the Challenger and activated the GPS tracker. They pulled out behind Granger, who had given Robinson enough lead so that he wouldn't notice the tail. They followed him into one of the seedier areas of L.A. until he pulled up in front of an old, run down house. Both cars stopped up the street, their headlights out, not wanting to be made. Robinson got out and looked around before heading in. Sam, Callen and Granger got out and drew their weapons. Hetty would stay in the car to coordinate. Using hand movements, Granger indicated Sam and Callen were to take the back while he covered the front. The two senior agents melted into darkness as they made their way around the back of the house. Granger walked quietly up the front stairs and looked in the window.

Softly he said "I have Robinson and McGonagle as well as two hired guns. Front living room."

In place, Sam and Callen looked in the back door. "We got a goon in the kitchen."

"That makes five of them and three of you. Please be careful gentleman." Said Hetty. She listened as each acknowledged her warning.

"Callen, you and Sam enter through the back. Try to take out the kitchen goon with as little sound as possible. When you're in place, let me know and I'll breach through the front."

"Acknowledged."

"Acknowledged."

Sam reached out and carefully turned the door knob, finding it unlocked. He eased the door open on surprisingly quiet hinges and slipped inside, his partner covering him. Kitchen goon was making himself a sandwich and had his headphones in; he never saw Sam until the very large arm came around his neck, cutting off his oxygen. He didn't make a sound as Sam squeezed. He passed out and was lowered quietly to the floor. Callen entered the room and they moved carefully towards the living room, clearing each room as they passed in case there were others that they hadn't seen from the very limited view they'd had. They found no one else and positioned themselves in the hallway, on either side of the opening to the living room. Not wanting to talk and give away their presence, Callen tapped twice on his earwig, the signal they always used to let the rest of the team know they were in position when running silent on an op.

Hearing the double tap, its meaning not lost on any of them, Granger kicked open the front door and yelled "NCIS! Drop your weapons, on the floor now!"

All four men turned, pulling out weapons and firing at Granger, who had jumped back out the door and taken safety off to the side. Sam and Callen came through the opening from the back of the house and shot the two hired guns, trying to keep McGonagle and Robinson alive for interrogation. Unfortunately, this gave the two men in question time to split up and run. Sam and Callen followed Robinson as he was closest to them, Granger taking McGonagle. They chased him through the house until they caught up with him in a side bedroom, trying to open a window that was painted shut. Callen entered the room, Sam covering his six, and said "Federal Agents! Drop your weapon!"

Robinson turned and looked at the two men facing him, weapons pointing at his head and decided he'd take a chance on Parks getting to him. He bent over and placed his gun on the floor and then raised his hands. "Turn around, hands behind your head!" said Callen. He complied and Callen holstered his gun and pulled out the zip tie cuffs. He roughly grabbed Robinson's right hand and pulled it down behind his back. He grabbed the left and did the same, pulling the ties tightly around the man's hands. He leaned in and whispered in the man's ear "I really wish you'd resisted arrest!" Taking another set of zip ties out, he pushed Robinson to the floor and tied him to the radiator. Leaving him secured, he and Sam went in search of Granger and McGonagle.

Granger chased McGonagle through the house, towards the back door. Trying to keep an eye on Granger, McGonagle didn't see kitchen goon lying on the floor and tripped over him, hitting his head. Granger approached him as he lay motionless on the floor, eyes closed. When he got close enough, he reached out a foot to pull the gun away from the fallen man's hand, McGonagle leaped up quickly and smashed him on the side of the head with thegun. Granger stumbled to his knees, his gun dropping from suddenly nerveless hands.

McGonagle stood up and pointed the gun at Granger's head. "I wish I had time to enjoy you as much as I did Detective Deeks, but I'm in somewhat of a hurry." He started to pull the trigger as Sam and Callen skidded through the door. A shot rang out and McGonagle looked down in surprise. A bright red spot showed on his shirt and began to spread. He looked up at the agents in front of him who were looking at him with as much surprise. He tried to raise his gun but had no strength. He slowly dropped to the ground, his eyes dulling.

Granger, Callen and Sam looked up from the dead man towards the back door to find Hetty standing there with the still smoking gun held in her hand. She smiled at their surprise and said "Well, we couldn't waste a perfectly good Assistant Director, now could we? We've just about got him trained. Wouldn't want to have to start over."

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A/N 3 - Focus will now turn to Deeks and getting him better. I've missed him!


	64. Chapter 64

A/N – Just wanted to say thanks to anyone who reviewed who I either missed responding to or I can't due to your settings (Guest reviewers or PM turned off). Your reviews make my day and I just wanted to express my appreciation!

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Chapter 64

Hetty, Granger, Sam and Callen entered the boat shed to be met with a barrage of questions from Lt. Bates and Officer Wolinsky, who had been staring at the monitor, watching Robinson in the interrogation room and anxiously awaiting their return.

"Did you get him?"

"Where is he?"

"What happened?"

"Did you let him get away?"

Their questions overlapped to the point where no one was sure who asked what. Granger held up his hand and answered. "Oh, we got him. At least Hetty did. Unfortunately, he won't be answering any of our questions."

Bates looked at him in dismay and asked for confirmation. "He's dead?"

"Yeah. It was him or me and I'm kind of glad Hetty decided on me." He stared at Bates, daring him to disagree.

"Of course, I get it, but that means Robinson is our only link to finding out who the LAPD mole is and how Timmons and Parks are communicating in prison." The Lt. said; frustration clear in his voice.

"Yes. But Mr. Robinson doesn't need to know that." stated Hetty, a small smile on her face.

Bates looked at her and started to smile. "So, that's how you're going to play this?"

Wolinsky looked back and forth between the two, not understanding what was going on. They were down to their last connection to the mole and Parks and he didn't see anything to smile about. Carson insisted he didn't know who the mole was or if there even was one. If Robinson lawyered up and refused to speak, they had nothing. He opened his mouth to ask what they meant and then decided to just watch how it all played out and see what he could learn.

"No time like the present to talk to him." Said Sam as he and Callen headed towards the closed door to the room where Robinson waited. Both men were tense and it showed.

"Mr. Hanna, Mr. Callen. I think you two are too close to this. Why don't we let Owen and Lt. Bates talk to him first?" said Hetty.

Both men began to protest but stopped at the look on her face. Reluctantly they walked back to the group surrounding the monitor. Granger and Bates looked at each other appraisingly and finally nodded. Granger grabbed a pad of paper off the table, walked to the door and opened it, Bates following him in, nodding to Agent Samuels who was guarding the door. They closed it behind them and those left in the main room turned to watch on the screen.

"I want a lawyer." was the first thing Robinson said as they entered.

"I'm sure you do and you'll need one. We have you on video confessing to the murder of two FBI Agents, a federal prosecutor, her husband and their unborn child, as well as beating a bound and defenseless police detective." Replied Granger, placing the pad of paper on the table between them. The two men sat down facing Robinson.

The man looked at them in shock. "What video? What are you talking about?"

Granger and Bates exchanged a look of surprise and then turned back to their suspect. "You didn't know that there was a video camera and parabolic microphone set up in the plant? One that captured every action and conversation from before the time Detective Deeks was brought in until the raid?" asked Bates.

Robinson shook his head and said "That bastard! He never told me a thing about recording that room!" He looked at them, dismay clearly written on his face. "You can't use any of that in court! I was taped without my knowledge!"

"You were taped by your own partner, not LAPD or NCIS. Everything on that video is admissible in court. You'll be lucky not to get the death penalty, which I plan on asking the DA to push for." Said Bates. He paused and then continued. "Unless, of course, you cooperate and give us the names of everyone at LAPD, NCIS or any other agency that you know of on your boss's payroll. As well as telling us how he and Timmons are communicating inside Victorville. This is a limited time offer and you'd better decide quickly. We got McGonagle and he's being made the same deal as we speak. Whoever cooperates first gets the deal, the other gets the needle."

Out in the main room, Wolinsky couldn't help himself. "What is Lt. Bates talking about? McGonagle is dead; we aren't making any offers to a dead man."

Hetty smiled at the young man. "As I said, Mr. Robinson doesn't need to know that. The idea that McGonagle may beat him to taking an offer like that is a powerful incentive for him to take it himself."

Wolinsky thought about it for a moment and Hetty could see when understanding dawned. He grinned at her and said "I like it!"

"We're glad you approve, Wolinsky." Said Callen, his eyebrows raised. He blushed a little and then noticed that Callen was smiling. The federal agent was teasing him! For some reason, that made him feel more like he was part of the group than he had at any time prior to this. He smiled in return and turned his attention back to the action on the screen.

Robinson shook his head. "Parks will kill me if he ever finds out that I gave up that kind of information. I wouldn't be safe anywhere, not even in prison. Especially not in prison!"

Granger tilted his head. "If you don't give us the information, the state of California will kill you. Or, we could send you to Gitmo for acts of terrorism."

"Terrorism? What are you talking about? I'm no terrorist! I'm an American, through and through. I would never commit an act of terrorism against my country!"

Listening on the monitor as Robinson declared himself a patriot, Wolinsky muttered under his breath "Stone cold killer who thinks nothing of gunning down a woman and her unborn child, but he's offended that we might think he's a terrorist?"

"Indeed, Mr. Wolinsky. It would seem Owen has hit a sore spot with Mr. Robinson. Continue to watch and learn." Said Hetty.

Back in the room, Granger used Robinson's outrage and the same argument that Callen had earlier applied to Carson. "Your boss, Steve Parks, is an arms dealer who has sold weapons to enemies of this country. Enemies who then use those weapons to hurt American citizens. That makes him a terrorist. You work for him, ipso facto, _you_ are also a terrorist."

Sam looked at Callen who said "What? Maybe Granger has his own word of the day calendar!" Sam just rolled his eyes and focused back on the screen.

"Parks never dealt with foreigners! You're lying to me, trying to confuse me!" said Robinson.

"Why would we lie about that? We already have you on five counts of murder, one count of abduction of a police office, unlawful detainment, assault and battery…should I go on?" asked Bates.

"Four." Robinson said absently, still trying to wrap his brain around the idea that he could be branded a terrorist.

"What do you mean four? Four what? Four people on your payroll?" asked Granger.

"Four counts of murder. The bitch was pregnant so the baby doesn't count."

Both men stood up quickly and Robinson realized his mistake immediately. Out in the main room Hetty quickly decided it might be a good idea to step in now. Walking rapidly down the short hall, she flung open the door and said "Assistant Director, Lt? Mr. McGonagle wishes to talk directly with both of you."

The men in question realized how close they had come to blowing this and backed off. "This is your last chance, Robinson. If we go talk to McGonagle and he gives us what we want, then you get nothing!" said Granger.

Robinson looked back and forth between the two and then at the small woman standing in the doorway. Finally he nodded his head. "I'll give you everyone I know about in exchange for taking the death penalty and terrorism off the table. I also want protection wherever I am, for the rest of my life. Parks has a long reach and a lot of money."

Granger nodded and pushed the pad of paper towards him and pulled a pen out of the inside pocket of his suit coat. "Names and information. Now. Adding in who's running Parks's organization on the outside will go a long way in dissuading the Director of this agency from pursing the terrorism angle. "

Robinson stared at the paper for a moment and then started writing. When he was done he pushed the paper and pen back to Granger. "That's everything, everything I know."

Granger nodded and picked them up, putting the pen back in his pocket. He read the names and was pleased to see that Carson was the only one from NCIS on the list. There was one name from LAPD and one from the FBI. That would explain how Robinson knew where both men lived when he'd been assigned to kill them. There were also two guards from Victorville listed as the go-betweens for Parks and Timmons in addition to Parks's top guy and location. Finished reading, he handed the paper to Bates whose face darkened when he saw the LAPD name.

"Looks like I have some house cleaning to do!" Bates said. He was furious and didn't bother to try to hide it. He looked into Robinson's eyes. "Did you kill Officer Kevin Pastor in order to help McGonagle escape?"

"No. I was long gone. McGonagle showed up later and said that Parks's pet cop offed the guy guarding him and uncuffed him. Made sure no one else was in the area, ran interference for McGonagle until he could get to the east side of the building. The NCIS agent took it from there."

Knowing that they'd gotten as much from him as they could, they took Robinson out and handed him over to Samuels to be taken away. As they headed into the main room to talk with the others, they heard Callen's phone rang. They listened as he answered.

"Eric? What do you have for us?"

"Callen, Nell and I are pretty sure we know who the mole is inside LAPD. It's the communications officer on the SWAT team assigned to help rescue Deeks. His name is Kingsley. I just sent his address to your smart phones. LAPD database says he goes on shift in an hour."

"Thanks Eric. Thank Nell too."

Callen ended the call and looked at the expectant faces watching him. "Eric and Nell think they know who the mole at LAPD is."

Bates held up the paper with the list of names. "Who is it? Let's see if it matches what Robinson gave us."

"Officer Stuart Kingsley."

Bates nodded. "That's a match. That and Carson's name confirm that Robinson is telling us the truth. How do you want to do this?"

"Eric says Kingsley isn't due on shift for an hour. We take him as he arrives. It's best if we bring him here for interrogation, away from LAPD." Said Callen.

Bates nodded and said "I want to be one of the ones to arrest him. I want in on interrogating him! I want to know exactly what his price was."

No one in the room had any intention of denying him this and said so. They worked out a plan and scattered. Bates would meet Kingsley at the precinct and tell him that NCIS was debriefing the entire SWAT team about the rescue op and it was simply his turn. Everyone knew Deeks reported to him so Kingsley shouldn't be suspicious. Bates would insist on them traveling together. Sam and Callen would back him up in case the man realized something was up and tried to run.

Granger and Hetty would start Nell and Eric digging into the remaining names on the list. Once they had enough information on the two guards, they would be picked up and brought to NCIS as well. As for Parks's top man, that would require more information and they were already thinking a task force with LAPD might be in order. The relationship between the two agencies was improving by the minute.

~,~,~,~

Sam pushed Stuart Kingsley through the door into the interrogation room making him stumble. The man had gone with Bates as expected, never suspecting that they knew he was dirty. Once he'd arrived at the boat shed, Bates had read him his rights and told him that they knew everything. He'd almost seemed relieved. Sam left, closing the door behind him. Bates and Granger sat down opposite Kingsley, much like earlier with Robinson. Granger stayed silent, letting the LAPD Lieutenant take the lead.

"Just tell me why Kingsley. Why would you turn on one of your own?" asked Bates.

"You married Lt?"

"No."

"Well, I am. My wife likes…the finer things in life. When we first got married I was getting a lot of overtime and we lived well. Then the city ran into trouble and starting cutting back. She refused to let our lifestyle change. She still wanted the new car every two years, the exclusive school for our daughter that she could brag about, the expensive vacations every year that she could show off pictures of and she had no intention of going to work to help pay for all of it." Kingsley sighed tiredly. "When I was approached by a man that worked for Steve Parks, it was just a simple bit of information here and there for a goodly amount of money. Then it was lose evidence. Then sabotage ops related to Parks's business."

"And Deeks? Did your oath mean so little that you were willing to let a fellow officer be tortured? To kill a fellow cop in order to let the torturer go free? What was the going price for all that? Ten thousand? Twenty?"

"By the time the situation with Deeks came up, I was in too deep. I couldn't get out. I told them I wanted no part of it and they threatened my family if I didn't do what they wanted. I never meant to kill Kevin! I was just going to offer to relieve him from guarding McGonagle and then, once we were alone, let him go free. Figured he could hit me and then I could tell everyone that he overpowered me. But it all went wrong. Kevin was suspicious. He couldn't figure out why we didn't know it was a cop we were there to rescue. He knew I'd taken the call. He kept asking what was said, what I was told. Over and over. I must have messed up and he pulled his gun. I had no choice, it was him or me."

"It should have been you!" Bates ground out.

"I know! I wish it had been! I just reacted, I didn't think. I wish I could do it over again, all of it! I wouldn't have taken the money! I wouldn't have gotten in bed with them. I would have let my wife walk like she threatened. Hell, it would have made my life easier if she had." Kingsley put his head down on the table and they could barely hear him when he mumbled "I'm just so glad it's over."

Once they got Kingsley to write out his statement, Bates and Wolinsky started to leave with him, planning on taking him back to LAPD for booking. Noticing the warmth with which Hetty said goodbye to his young officer, Bates hung back and waited for him to be out of earshot. He eyed the little woman in front of him and said "You've already stolen my best undercover operative. I'm not stupid. I know it's only a matter of time before he resigns from LAPD and becomes an agent. Hell, I'm stunned it hasn't happened already. But keep your mitts off Wolinsky. I have plans for him and they don't include being shanghaied by NCIS!"

Hetty simply smiled at the Lt. and said nothing. Bates huffed out a sigh and followed Wolinsky and Kingsley out of the building. She turned to find Granger, Sam and Callen looking at her expectantly. "Can I help you gentlemen?"

No one said anything as she waited. Once she was sure that there were no comments to be made she said "I've contacted Miss. Leary and gave her the heads up on the FBI agent on Parks's payroll. He was not involved in this case so will be entirely the FBI's problem. Now, don't you think Miss. Blye would like to know the outcome of our day? The people who would hurt our Mr. Deeks are either dead or in custody and he is finally safe."

Callen nodded and Sam said 'You know she's going to be pissed that she wasn't able to be part of taking down Robinson, McGonagle and Kingsley!"

"I am well aware of Miss. Blye's probable reaction. You may tell her that she will be given the lead in telling Mr. Timmons that he and Mr. Parks are going to be behind bars for a very, very long time."

Both men grinned and turned to leave the boat shed, eager to get to the hospital and give Kensi the good news in person. Once they were alone, Hetty walked over to the filing cabinet in the corner. Pulling out a key, she unlocked it and opened the bottom drawer. She pulled out a bottle of tequila and walked over to place it on the table. She went to the counter and selected two coffee mugs. She poured a generous portion into each and turned to Granger, handing him one. "We did good today, Owen. We took down two very bad men, uncovered two dirty federal agents, one dirty cop and soon, two dirty prison guards. Eventually, the information we gathered today could lead to the dismantling of an international weapons dealer. In addition, we can reasonably expect that Mr. Timmons sentence potential has just skyrocketed. All in all, a lot to be proud of."

Granger picked up his mug and clinked it against hers. "Agreed, Henrietta. All in all, a good day for the good guys!"


	65. Chapter 65

A/N - I feel like I keep repeating myself, but thanks to honus47 for reading and reviewing!

A/N2 - To jackie - I hope this is enough Deeks and Kensi? If not, the next one is going to be a lot more!

~,~,~,~

Chapter 65

Sam and Callen made it to the hospital in record time. Arriving on his floor, they moved quickly down the corridor, eager to tell Kensi everything that had happened since they'd last seen her. When they got to Deeks's room, Sam knocked on the door and softly said "Kensi? It's Sam and Callen."

Kensi opened the door and let them in. Both men couldn't help but notice how drawn she was. They'd already decided on the way over that Callen would force her to go out for some air, take her somewhere for dinner while Sam stayed with Deeks. Both were also slightly apprehensive about how she was going to take the fact that everyone had kept her out of the loop. That had been a decision everyone had agreed with. She needed to keep her focus on Deeks and not what they were doing. They also hadn't wanted to get her hopes up in case things hadn't gone according to plan. Now that everything was over, they both wondered if that had been the right move. Neither was looking forward to being the ones having that particular conversation with her but, the fact that they also got to tell her it was over, outweighed the very real fear of what her reaction would be.

Callen took point. "Kens, he's safe! McGonagle is dead and Robinson is in custody. The mole at LAPD has been uncovered and arrested. Sam is going to stay with Deeks and _you_ are going to come out to eat with me while I fill you in on everything that happened today."

"No, I can't leave him! Wait! You took them down without me? What the hell?" She advanced on the two men in front of her. Anyone watching, who didn't know Kensi, would have found it comical to watch the two federal agents, one of whom would made most grown men pause, back away from her. Callen held his hands up.

"Kens, come on, you just answered your own question. Be honest, you know there was no way you were going to leave him, even to be in on their arrests or interrogations. You would've been gone for hours. And waiting and worrying here wouldn't have done either of you any good."

Kensi thought about what he said. She knew he was right, she wouldn't have left him for that long, but it didn't mean she had to like it. She backed down but wouldn't forget. She would be having a conversation with the whole team about keeping her in the dark about this at a later date. When they least expected it, she would strike.

Feeling like the storm had passed with relatively little damage, Callen said "Now you need to come with me, you aren't going to do him any good if you grind yourself down to nothing! He's not even awake. Sam will be here and he won't let anything happen to him. You need to get out of this hospital room for a little bit."

"No, I'm not going." She paused and added. "But thank you."

"Don't you want to know how everything went down? I'm not going to tell you while we're sitting here in this room. Plus, I have a treat for you from Hetty."

Kensi looked at him, trying to gauge if he would really withhold information from her if she didn't give in and go get something to eat with him. When she realized that he meant every word he said, she gave in, albeit ungraciously.

"Ok, but no more than an hour and I want every single detail! And I want to know what kind of treat Hetty has for me! I'm still not sure if I want to forgive you guys for not at least letting me know what was going on!"

"Good, now let's go!"

She turned and walked back to the bed. Reaching out, she smoothed back the hair from Deeks's forehead and leaned down to whisper in his ear. "Hey baby, they're making me go get something to eat. Pushy couple of guys. Sam is going to stay with you for a little bit. I won't be gone long. Don't you go and do anything stupid while I'm gone, you hear me?" She kissed his cheek and stood up. Turning, she glared at Sam. "You better take good care of him, Sam or you will regret it for the rest of your life."

Sam smiled at her and reached out to pull her into a hug. "Of course I'll take good care of him Kens. And not just because you scare the bejeebers out me!"

"Bejeebers?" She said as she returned the hug, knowing that her "brothers" were simply worried about her and just trying to make sure she was okay.

"Yes, bejeebers. Now, the sooner you go, the sooner you'll be back." He pushed her towards Callen. As they went out the door, she turned to look back at the still form in the bed as the door shut between them.

Sam chuckled and pulled up a chair next to the bed. He reached out to put a hand on Deeks's forearm and squeezed gently. "How ya going, buddy? We got 'em! We got the bastards who put you here! McGonagle is dead and I'm not sorry in the least. I doubt anyone is. The only thing anyone is sorry about is that Hetty was the one who got to do it. We all wish we'd been the one. He got the drop on Granger and was about to shoot him but Hetty got him first. It was priceless! You're going to be sorry you missed it. She even said she saved Granger because we finally have him almost trained! You should have seen the look on his face. I wish I could've taken a picture to show you when you wake up. Oh, and Robinson is in custody and gave us everything."

He paused in his ramblings and then continued. "You need to know. They videotaped everything and we caught Robinson bragging to you about killing Katie, Michael and their baby. We'll finally get full justice for them Deeks! He's going to jail for a very long time. We got him to roll on Timmons and Parks. Timmons is going to be very unpleasantly surprised when he finds out what additional charges we plan on filing. Hetty's going to let Kensi break the news to him, to make up for the fact that she wasn't in on the takedowns. Parks is going to be surprised as well. While he won't get any additional time, it will certainly make sure he's never eligible for parole. We got the names of the guards helping the two of them keep in touch; we'll be plugging that leak as soon as we get enough evidence to charge them. Nell and Eric are working on that right now. They send their love and will be by to see you soon. Plus we're going to mount a task force to shut down Parks's organization as Robinson named names."

Sam took a deep breath and said softly 'We all watched the tape Marty, we had to. Everyone except Kensi that is. I doubt anyone will ever want her to see that. I'm so sorry about what happened, but we're all so proud of you! In spite of everything McGonagle did to you, you refused to give him what he wanted. You stayed strong and you ended up saving my life again. You need to stop doing that! I'm never going to be able to repay you. I'd have to live forever."

Trying for a lighter note, he said "By the way, when you get out of here, we need to talk. It's time. You need to walk away from LAPD and become an agent. G's planning on a new op. One he's termed "Operation Agent Deeks". Once the dust has settled, he's going to get everyone involved. You don't stand a chance so just give in quickly and graciously. Don't make him jump through hoops, no matter how tempted you might be. When he gets cranky, I take the heat."

He looked at the silent man in the bed and sighed. When Deeks had first started with NCIS, he'd been tough on him. He'd still been determined that they would find Dom and that he would come back to them so, when Deeks sat down that first day at the desk next to him, it had felt like they were giving up. The young man had ended up being missing for months and had later died saving Sam just as he was being rescued. To this day it stung.

Over the years he'd grudgingly admitted that Deeks had skills but he'd tightly held onto those first initial reservations. Deeks was different, that was for sure. He'd come to realize, after Sidorov, that different was good. Different gave you the other side of the coin, thinking outside the box, complemented the skills the rest of them had. He'd been trying over the last couple years to let Deeks know that. He'd made an effort to let him know that he considered him a friend, a good friend. Yes, he still teased him, but Deeks gave back as good as he got. Plus, he hadn't killed him and buried the body when he and Kensi had started dating, especially when some of it had started to creep into the work place. Not too many people would be good enough for his "little sister" and he had let Deeks know that he was behind their relationship. He knew that Kensi had grown so much since they'd partnered up. Growth that he wasn't sure anyone but Deeks would have been able to foster but still, she was family to both him and Callen. He knew Deeks understood that, he'd proven it when he'd asked the two of them for permission to ask Kensi to marry him. Idly he wondered if he'd had gone ring shopping yet. A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts and he unconsciously put his hand on his gun.

"Kensi? It's Moira and Craig."

Sam smiled and stood up. He liked both the doctor and the ER nurse, plus he owed Craig for saving Deeks's life. Getting up and moving to the door, he opened it and enjoyed the looks of surprise on their faces.

"Before you say anything, G and I forced Kensi to go out to get something to eat and some fresh air."

"Thank goodness! I didn't think we'd ever pry her away from his side. It's good to see you Sam."

"Good to see you too, Moira."

Sam turned to the man standing behind the doctor and held out his hand. "Craig, again, I can't thank you enough for what you did."

"I'm just glad it worked out the way it did, Sam." He smiled at the big man as he shook his hand.

Moira moved into the room and checked on Deeks's vitals. She smiled and looked at Sam. "Actually, I'm glad Kensi isn't here. He's doing so well I want to remove the ventilator now. Craig is here to help me. Why don't you go get something to eat or drink? I'll let you know when it's done."

"I'd rather stay here, Moira, if you don't mind."

"I don't mind but...it isn't exactly pleasant to watch. You may come to wish you'd left."

"I understand, but I'd really rather stay here. The last thing I need to have happen is for Kensi to find out I left him alone, even for a few minutes." He winked at her.

Laughing she said "I totally understand. She can be pretty scary when she wants to be."

"You have _no_ idea." Sam said as he turned and moved out of their way, thinking of the earlier conversation when Kensi found out what they'd been doing without her. He leaned against the wall and watched them work on Deeks. He winced as they pulled the tube out of his friend's throat as gently as possible. He swallowed hard and would swear his own throat hurt.

When it was done, Moira replaced the ventilator with a nasal cannula. She carefully monitored his vitals, prepared to intubate him again should he exhibit any kind of distress. When a few minutes passed with no change, she turned and smiled at Sam. "He's doing well! He's breathing fine and his wounds are healing nicely. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to reduce his sedation dosage. We'll do it gradually and, in a day or so, he should start to wake up."

For the first time in days, Sam felt the weight on his shoulders lift a little. He looked at Deeks and thought how much better he looked already, now that the tube was gone. He couldn't wait for Kensi to come back and see him. He looked up to find Moira and Craig smiling gently at him and realized he had zoned out, staring at Deeks. He cleared his throat a little and said what he'd just been thinking. "He looks better already."

"Yes, it's amazing how removing the tube makes everyone feel so much better, not just the patient." She looked at her watch and said "I've got to get a move on. Tell Kensi I'll stop in later to see how they're both doing?"

"Sure thing. Thanks again Doc!"

Craig turned to leave with Moira, adding his vow to be back later for a visit. Left alone in the room again, Sam realized how quiet it was without the sound of the machine breathing for him. He sat back down and waited for their partners to return. He didn't have long to wait. A soft knock at the door was followed by Callen announcing them as the door opened. Kensi was first through, her eyes immediately going to Deeks. They widened when she took in the absence of the tube and she quick stepped to the bed.

"They took it out! Oh Sam, Callen, he looks so much better!" She leaned over and kissed him on the lips for the first time in days.

"That's not all Kens! Moira said she's going to start reducing his sedation tomorrow as he's healing so well! She says he may start waking up within a day or so. She's going to stop back in later to talk to you. Craig was here too, he said he'd stop by later as well."

Kensi's eyes filled with tears, a sure sign to the two men that she was exhausted. The two partners exchanged a look behind her back and Callen nodded. Moving to her side, he looked down at Deeks and found himself agreeing that the man did, indeed, look better. Of course, he wasn't sure that that was saying much. He put his hand on Kensi's shoulder and said "Why don't you lay down for a bit. Sam and I would like to sit with him for a little while."

"I want to stay with him." She ruined her statement by yawning widely. Her tummy was full with the first decent food she'd eaten in what felt like forever and her eyes were heavy. Add to that the relief that he was no longer in danger from Robinson or McGonagle and she was pretty much swaying on her feet.

"Come on Kens, there's a perfectly good bed in the other room that's not being used. You can go lie down and still hear and see everything. We'll leave the connecting door open. If anything happens, we'll come get you immediately."

"You promise?"

Sam held up his hand and said "Cross our hearts." as he made an X over his chest.

Kensi chuckled and looked back down at Deeks. He was safe now and she could really use the sleep. She leaned down and kissed him on the lips again and paused. She pressed her lips against his again and would swear that he kissed her back. Pulling back a little, she could see that he hadn't moved. She must be more tired than she thought. She moved over to Callen and gave him a hug, following it up with a hug for Sam. She shuffled into the other room and fell onto the bed, fully dressed and was out like a light in moments. Sam followed her into the room and watched her as she slept. Reaching down, he pulled the blanket that was folded at the bottom of the bed out from under her feet and gently placed it over her. She murmured Deeks's name in her sleep and rolled over onto her side, one hand tucking under her cheek and the other grabbing the blanket and pulling it up to her chin. Sam smiled down at her. She looked so young when she was asleep; it was hard to remember she was a skilled and dangerous federal agent. He patted her on the shoulder and went back to talk with his partner and watch over hers.

~,~,~,~

A/N – I know I said he'd be waking up soon but this got away from me. At least we got to spend time with him and he will wake up in the next chapter, I promise (she said with her fingers crossed behind her back).


	66. Chapter 66

Chapter 66

After several hours of watching Deeks sleep and feeling a little creepy about it, Sam suppressed yet another yawn. He decided some caffeine was in order and stood up. "G, I'm gonna get some coffee, you want some?"

"Please! And make it a big one! I'll keep an eye on the sleeping beauties while you're gone."

Sam chuckled and left the room. Callen looked through the connecting doors and checked that Kensi was still asleep. He heard a little sound and realized he was hearing the snort snore Deeks always teased her about and she refused to admit to. He grinned, knowing he would now be able to join his teammate in teasing her. He turned back to the bed and pulled his chair up closer. Checking the door to make sure Sam wasn't about to come back through, he started to speak softly.

"Deeks, when you wake up, we need to talk. You need to sign the damn paperwork to become an agent! I don't know if it's because you think being a cop is a big part of who you are, or if you're afraid that becoming an agent could trigger NCIS breaking up your partnership with Kensi due to your personal relationship. I just want you to know, you haven't been a cop in a very long time. You're as much a federal agent as anyone at NCIS and it's time you make it official. No one will let them break you and Kensi up. Hell, I think half the people at the Mission would walk if anyone gave even the slightest hint of it."

He smiled, as he pictured a stream of people marching up to Hetty's desk and handing over badges, guns and ids. Hell, he was pretty sure Hetty would lead the charge and, unless he was mistaken, Granger would be right behind her. He still wasn't sure how Deeks did it. He was loud and totally inappropriate at times, but people just seemed to come into his orbit and never leave.

He continued on by making the worst threat he could think of. "Don't make me sic Michelle on you. Sam agrees with me and you know Michelle does as well. Maybe we'll even get Kamran involved! I know you can't deny her anything. Now that we've gotten the people responsible for putting you here, Operation Agent Deeks is officially underway. I'll be reading the rest of the team in on it as soon as I get back to OSP." He leaned forward and whispered in his ear. "You don't stand a chance."

~,~,~,~

Kensi stood up and stretched. She'd been sitting by his bed for so long she'd gotten stiff again. Moira had been in earlier that day to go over everything with her and she'd assured her that he was doing well, better than they'd expected, in fact. The doctor had been pleased at how well and how quickly his wounds were healing and she'd started the process of reducing the sedative, telling her that he should start to wake up soon, maybe even by evening, but warning her that he would be groggy and pretty out of it. Kensi didn't care; she just wanted to hear his voice, to be able to look into his eyes.

Craig had stopped by as well, just to visit with them and keep her company before his shift. Both had stopped in the previous evening as promised but she'd slept through their visits. Sam and Callen had left very early this morning when she'd finally woken up from the first deep and dreamless sleep she'd had since he'd been taken.

She looked closely at him, watching for any signs that he was coming around and was pleased to note that the bruises on his face were fading. They were a very odd green and yellow now but that was so much better than the black, blue and purple. The ones on his torso had been deeper and were only showing minor improvement. She reached out to touch him, something she couldn't seem to stop doing, reassuring herself each time that he was there and getting better with each passing moment. Stooping to give him yet another gentle kiss on the lips, she noticed that he didn't smell like him. He smelled like antiseptic and plastic. In short, he smelled like hospital. She missed his normal scent, the one that could make her toes curl with just a whiff.

A soft knock sounded on the door and she heard Nell's voice asking if she could come in. Kensi went to the door and opened it, glad to see her friend. Nell hugged her and held out a bag.

"What's this?"

"I figured you could use some more clean clothes. If you want, I'll take your dirty ones back to the apartment for you."

"Thanks Nell!" Kensi grabbed the bag and opened it, pleased that her friend was so thoughtful. She rummaged around to see what was in it, happy to see a couple pair of comfy yoga pants. Her hands stilled when they found a familiar t-shirt and she pulled it out.

"Nell, this isn't mine, it's Deeks's."

Nell looked at her and smiled. "I know." This was the actual purpose for her visit, although she had no plans to tell Kensi that.

Kensi searched her friend's face and saw understanding there. She put the t-shirt to her nose, closed her eyes and breathed deeply. There he was! That scent that would always bring him to her mind so vividly. Sea, sand, sun, suntan lotion and a hint of his body wash, the one she loved. Nell watched some of the tension on her friend's face fade as she buried her face in the material and just kept breathing. It took her own breath away to see the almost instant change that came over Kensi, simply due to smelling his shirt. Turning away from the oddly intimate moment, she moved over to the bed and leaned over to kiss Deeks on the forehead.

"Hey Shaggy, it's Velma. I'm so glad to see you're off the ventilator! You're looking better every day. Soon it'll be time to open your eyes and start annoying everyone. We miss you so much. Eric and I dug up some damaging info on the two prison guards and they were arrested this morning. Both admitted to passing information back and forth. One was on Parks's cell block, the other on Timmons's. They'd meet up after work and pass on whatever was given to them for the other or would meet with someone from Parks's crew on the outside. Then they'd go back to work the next day and hand over whatever they'd been given to the one they reported to. It all came down to money, once again. The arrest was pretty public, deliberately so. We're hoping that means Parks will have trouble finding people to take their place, but you know you can't stop stupid or greedy."

Most of the conversation she was having with Deeks was more for Kensi's sake. She knew her friend was listening to everything she said but wanted to give her time to compose herself. She felt Kensi's hand on her shoulder and turned, shocked to find tears in her eyes.

"Kensi? What's the matter? Everything's finally taking a turn for the better, why are you crying?" Nell pulled Kensi into another, stronger, hug even though it meant the taller woman had to bend over a little.

"They're tears of happiness, Nell. I just realized how lucky I am! Lucky to have you as a friend. I've never had any other friends who got me like you do. Most don't even know what I do for work. The last few months, with our circle of friends growing, I've realized how much I've missed out on since I became a federal agent. And he's going to be okay, he really is. I've been so worried for so long, I feel like a heavy weight is being lifted off my chest."

Nell hugged her again and was about to comment when a creaky voice sounded behind them.

"Melissa?"

Both spun around to find his eyes open and watching them. They rushed to his side and Kensi grabbed his hand.

"Hey baby! How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine! I really like what you've done with your hair."

Kensi reached up to pat her hair, knowing she still probably looked like she'd just gotten out of bed. She wondered if he was just teasing her.

"I've always loved that dress on you, baby!" She looked down at the rumpled sweat pants and t-shirt she'd slept in and laughed. Looking at Nell, she saw the confusion on her face. She grinned at her friend and turned back to Deeks.

"I know you do Justin, that's why I wear it. Now, I think you should go back to sleep."

"Okay." He said and closed his eyes.

"What was _that_?" Nell asked.

"He talks in his sleep, although he refuses to admit it. You're now my witness! You know what this means, don't you Nell? He's getting close to waking up for real!"

"Yeah, but why did he call you Melissa? Wait, you called him Justin! Those were your undercover names when you were pretending to be married to smoke out the Russian sleeper cell!"

"Yup. I guess he was dreaming about that time. Even though it was dangerous, it was nice too. Neither of us had anyone in our lives at that time and it was nice having someone there to talk to, to say goodnight to." Kensi said, remembering the conversation they'd been having on the couch that day before being rudely interrupted by a rock through their window. She'd always wondered where that conversation would have gone if that hadn't happened.

Nell laughed and hugged Kensi again. She couldn't wait to get back to the Mission and let everyone know what had just happened. She knew she'd be pounced on as soon as she walked through the door. She stayed and visited with them for a while and then excused herself to head into work. Hetty had told her to take her time, but she didn't want to be gone too long. The two friends hugged again as they said goodbye, Nell promising to be back and telling Kensi to let her know if she needed anything. Monty was home from the vets and staying with the Hanna family for the foreseeable future. They hadn't wanted to leave their hero dog alone at Kensi and Deeks's place while he was recovering and, unexpectedly, Sam had immediately volunteered to take him home with him. He'd said it was because the dog had saved Nell but everyone was pretty sure Monty had grown on Sam just like his owner had.

When the door shut behind their friend and they were alone again, Kensi sat by his side and picked up his hand, intertwining their fingers. "You have no idea how happy it made me to hear your voice and see your eyes open, even if you did think we were Justin and Melissa. You're getting better baby! Soon you'll be begging Moira to let you go home, I know how you are when you're in the hospital. Oh, you don't even know who Moira is! She's the doctor who's been taking care of you. She's so nice; you're going to love her. I think we might have just found another woman to join what you call our little circle of girls. I know what you're going to say, it's not so little anymore! It's not and I love it! Oh! Nell was just here and she heard you talking in your sleep! You can't deny it anymore, I have witness now."

She squeezed his hand and said "Come on Deeks, open those baby blues for me again!" His eyes remained stubbornly shut but she felt his fingers twitch in hers and she watched them like they were the most fascinating thing she'd ever seen. They'd stilled but she knew it'd happened. He was slowly coming out from under the sedation and she felt like the wait was killing her.

A couple of hours later, another knock came at the door and Laura and Meaghan popped their heads in. "Can we come in?" Laura asked.

"Of course! I'm so glad to see you guys! He sort of woke up a little earlier today. He was really still asleep but he opened his eyes and spoke to me. He's also been moving a little."

"We know, Nell called to update me on how he's doing and she mentioned it. That's why we decided to come by. Do you mind some company?"

"I, _we'd_ , love it!"

Kensi noticed that Meaghan hadn't said a word. That was unusual for the normally talkative teen. She was staring at Deeks and frowning a little.

"What's wrong, Meaghan?"

The girl blinked and turned her head to meet Kensi's eyes. "I thought…I mean when I heard that he'd been talking….I wanted him to be awake!"

"Oh sweetie, he will be! Soon too, according to Moira. It's just going to take a little while. We have to be patient." Kensi said, conveniently forgetting that she'd been begging him to open his eyes not so long ago.

Laura put her arms around Meaghan and hugged her. Kensi swept an arm towards the bed. "Do you want to sit with him for a while? I could really use a cup of coffee and I'd appreciate it if you watched over him for me."

"Really? You sure?"

"Of course. Talk to him; tell him how you're doing, what's been going on. We're not sure he can hear us or not, but I think he does and I like to think it lets him know he's not alone."

Meaghan sat in the chair Kensi had been occupying and picked up his hand. She started to stroke it and hum a little song, one Kensi immediately recognized as the one Deeks had written for her just after they'd first met the Sheltons. It wasn't all that long ago but they'd become family so quickly; it felt like they'd known each other for years. She looked at Laura and nodded towards the door, silently asking if she'd like to join her for aforementioned coffee. Laura smiled and nodded.

"Honey, I'm going to go with Kensi to get a coffee too. Will you be okay alone here for just a little while?"

"Sure mom, I bet Kensi could use a break. Take your time."

Laura smiled at her, pleased at how mature and kind her daughter sounded. She squeezed Meaghan's shoulder and the two women left. Once the door closed behind them, Meaghan continued to hum the song to him, eventually starting to sing the words softly as she continued to stroke his hand. When the song was done, she started to talk to him.

"Marty? I really wish you were awake, there's so much I want to tell you. The first is that I love you. You're like the uncle I never got to know. I know mom had a brother who died when she was young. She never really talks about him and I've always felt that there was something more to the story. I figure she'll tell me when she's ready. She loves you too; I think you've taken a place in her heart beside him. She's so much more fun than she used to be. We get along so much better now than we used to. We're even doing mother/daughter things! Did you know she has tea with Hetty once a month? Last month they let me go with them! It was before all this happened and I was so proud to be included but, truthfully? It was kind of boring! Don't tell mom I said that!"

"Secondly, the girls all miss you! We miss you at our Saturday morning lessons. You'll be proud of us! We met last week anyway! It was more fooling around than learning anything, but I think a couple of us who've been doing it since the beginning, managed to teach a couple of the newbies a thing or two. Most importantly, no one got hurt! And Val's being quite the drama queen. She cries every time I mention your name. She knows you're hurt and in the hospital but mom and dad told everyone it was a car accident."

She paused for breath. "Oh, and Ryan and I broke up. You remember him? I brought him to Cassie and Paula's wedding. He was nice but it just wasn't there, you know? No spark. I want what you and Kensi have, what mom and dad have. I want the rest of the world to disappear just because he walks into a room. I want the room to crackle with electricity when we look at each other. I know there's someone like that out there for me. Ryan just wasn't it. We're going to stay friends but nothing more."

While she was earnestly talking to him, she hadn't noticed her mom and Kensi had returned. They'd heard the last part about Ryan and the two women shared a look. Their girl was growing up! They both stepped quietly out into the hall and made noise like they were just approaching the door and then came back in. Meaghan was sitting quietly, holding his hand and none the wiser that they'd heard her.

Laura and Meaghan stayed for a while and they caught up. John was in Washington but sent his love to both of them. One of Laura's committees had tried to kick her off, saying she'd become too plebian and was a distraction. Laura had channeled her best southern belle and told the women off in such a way that they'd begged her forgiveness and asked her to stay. All three of them laughed hysterically as Laura recounted the story, doing each woman's voice in an exaggerated way.

When they left, Kensi found it was too quiet and she started to feel a little lonely. That didn't last long as there was another knock on the door within the hour. This time it was Cassie and Paula. They both admitted that Laura had called them. They wanted to see him for themselves. Almost as disappointed as Meaghan that he wasn't awake, the two women stayed and kept Kensi company. They showed her pictures from the wedding and honeymoon that they hadn't had the chance to share with anyone yet. They both talked to him, telling him how much they missed him and that he had to get well soon. Telling him that they had news to share with him, news neither one would share with Kensi until he was awake too.

Soon after they left, Michelle showed up. More than anyone, she knew what Kensi was going through. She was able to offer more than a shoulder to cry on, she was proof that this could be survived and that they would be able to move on.

"How did you do it, Michelle? When you were still an active agent working with Sam? Knowing that, at any moment, one of you could be hurt or worse, die."

"I won't lie and say it gets any easier Kensi. It's hard. The hardest thing you will ever do until you have children and find a whole new level of worries to think about. But, it's worth it! Worth every moment of worry, every moment of fear, because there are so many more moments of love and happiness. You just have to remember what your life was like before him. Were you happy? I know you love your job; I'm sure you would've told anyone who asked that you were happy and fulfilled. Can you look back on how you felt then and how you feel now that you two are together, and say that you don't see the difference?"

"No, I can't. But the thought of losing him? It makes me freeze up inside. When he was missing and I didn't know if he was alive or dead? All I could think about was finding him. Once we did and we didn't know if he'd survive his injuries? I wasn't sure I wanted to survive if he didn't. Now that he's getting better? All I want is to be able to talk to him, hold him, nothing else matters. Is it right that one man can have that much of an impact on my life?"

"Oh sweetie, yes! It's called love. I need you to promise me something though? If something ever does happen to him and you're feeling like you don't want to go on without him, please, please talk to me or to Sam. To your mom. Don't do anything stupid?"

Kensi smiled tremulously at her. "Yes, of course, I will. Thanks, Michelle. It's good to know what I'm feeling isn't abnormal, that you understand what I've been going through."

Michelle hugged her and said "I'm glad. I hope I can count on you for the same if anything ever happens to Sam. I have our kids but he's the love of my life. I can't imagine it without him in it."

The two women shared a smile and turned to look at Deeks. His nose was twitching and Kensi started to laugh, happier than the small motion should have made her. Michelle looked at her questioningly and she just shook her head, not wanting to share that little tidbit about him that was all hers. They talked some more, sharing their worries and Michelle made Kensi feel more positive about the future. They'd be able to do this, others had paved the way and they had a built in support system of those who had gone before. Michelle finally got up to leave, kissing him on the forehead and hugging Kensi one last time.

After the door closed behind her, Kensi turned to him and said "I think that might just be the tip of the iceberg, baby. The word is out that you're waking up! I expect the hospital will want to install a revolving door to this room!"

She had no sooner finished saying the words when someone else knocked on the door.

~,~,~,~

A/N – thanks to evelynmarie1 for the idea of having Deeks talk in his sleep as he starts to come out from under the sedation. I thought it would be fun if he was thinking about the time they spent pretending to be a married couple, ostrich burgers aside.

A/N 2 - the beginning of this chapter, where Callen has his own talk with Deeks, was not in the original version. Yellowcallalily gave me the idea! Thanks!


	67. Chapter 67

Chapter 67

Kensi gratefully watched the door close behind their latest visitors. She loved Cindy, Chris and the baby, but the visit hadn't gone well. No matter who was holding him, LC had kept reaching out to Deeks, not understanding why Uncle Marty didn't immediately take him into his arms and cuddle him, like always. LC adored Deeks and, whenever he was around, the baby wanted no one but Deeks to hold him. The baby had started out whimpering and then progressed to full blown wailing. Both Cindy and Chris had tried to comfort him but nothing had worked. As the crying had gotten louder, Kensi had noticed that Deeks was frowning in his sleep and his hands were twitching. He never could stand to let a crying child go uncomforted and, even in his current condition; the sound was enough to trigger that desire in him. Eventually they all decided it was best to cut the visit short, Chris telling Kensi to let them know when he was awake and they'd come back. Cindy had kissed Deeks on the forehead and given Kensi one last hug and then they were gone.

Quiet. Blessed quiet. There'd been a steady stream of visitors today, all under the mistaken impression that he'd woken up, each one of them disappointed to find him still out. She looked at her watch. It was just after eight, visiting hours were over. The only ones she might see now were members of their team. Or so she thought. As soon as she settled into the chair by his bed, ready to spend some one on one time with him, she heard the beginnings of an argument outside the door. A grin spread over her face when she recognized the voices.

"Sir, I've already told you, visiting hours are over!"

"I just want to see him! I won't be long."

"Then I guess you should have been here _before_ 8!"

"It's only 8:02! Cut me some slack, will you? I just got back into town and I came here straight from the airport!"

"I'm sorry for that, but the rules are the rules! Visiting hours end at 8! You'll have to come back tomorrow."

"I'm not leaving here until I see him! Do you know who I am?"

The last sentence goaded Kensi into action. She got up, opened the door and smiled at the sight in front of her. Caroline Finch, the petite night nurse, had her fists on her hips and was glaring up at basketball star Kip Brigham. Kensi loved Kip but knew he was _not_ used to being told no. She contemplated letting them duke it out, if anyone was taking bets her money would be on the nurse, but she knew how much Deeks meant to Kip and understood his frustration at finally getting here and then being denied entrance.

"Caro? Would it be okay if he came in? Just for a little bit? He's Deeks's best friend." Kensi wondered if the little nurse followed basketball and knew who Kip was.

Caro turned to Kensi and smiled at her. "For you and for Marty, I'll let it slide this one time." She turned and glared up at Kip. "Not for _him_!" She flounced away, leaving a slack jawed Kip in her wake.

Kensi could hear her muttering under her voice as she left. "Do I know who he is? Ha! Mr. big shot basketball player, used to getting whatever he wants. I don't care if he _is_ the leading scorer in the league, he's not all that!"

Kensi was trying hard not to laugh but when she looked at Kip's face, she lost it. He definitely wasn't used to be treated this way, especially by women. They usually fell all over themselves trying to get his attention. He definitely wasn't used to being told off. The man looked downright lost. At the sound of her laughter, he turned and met her eyes, fully intending to be offended that she'd found the whole situation funny. One look at her and the humor of it all overrode his indignation. He started to laugh with her.

When the laughter finally died out, Kensi looked at him and said "It was good to laugh. I haven't done that in days." He reached out and pulled her into a quick hug.

"Kensi, how is he? How are you doing?" She could hear the worry in his voice. She stepped out of his embrace and looked him in the eyes, wanting her words to reassure both of them.

"He's doing so much better. The doctor's taken him off the ventilator and has ratcheted down the sedation over the course of today. We're hoping he'll wake up at any time. He's going to be just fine. He opened his eyes and talked to me earlier today but it turned out he was still under."

"Ventilator? Sedation? Just how bad was this accident?" He looked through the open door at his friend lying in the bed but couldn't make out much about his condition.

"Let's not have this conversation in the hallway. But, before you come in, you need to be prepared. He's pretty bruised and battered but the only thing you need to think about is that he's vastly improved and getting better every minute!"

The two of them entered the room and Kensi turned to shut the door behind them. Kip kept walking and stopped by the bed, shocked at the condition of this man who had done so much for him, been his best friend since he was just a kid. He looked up when Kensi reached his side. "You call this vastly improved? Just how bad was he? Someone _did_ this to him! This wasn't from any damn car accident! Tell me and don't lie to me! I get a text from you that he's been in an accident and he's in the hospital and this is what I come home to? You lied to me!"

"I'm sorry I lied Kip, but I knew there was nothing you could do from where you were and I didn't want to worry you. Plus, at the time, it was still an ongoing case. I had no idea what direction it would take and it could have ended up being a matter of national security. Now that it's over, I can share everything with you."

Kensi took a deep breath and told him everything. About the abduction, the torture, the rescue, the injuries, the attack on him here in the hospital, the mole inside LAPD, the one at NCIS, everything, until she eventually ran out of steam. Kip stood there silently through the whole story, his body tensing as he listened to her tell him all the things his friend had gone through. When she finally petered out, he turned to her, anger radiating off him.

"Did you get the bastards who did this to him?"

"Yes! The man who tortured him is dead. My boss killed him herself, just as he was about to shoot another member of our team. I doubt there's a person on this planet that's sorry that she did so. His partner was arrested and gave up his boss, the one who ordered the whole thing. He also gave us enough information to close down a weapons smuggling ring being run by the same man even though he's already behind bars. This man ordered a hit on a friend of Deeks's years ago and the guy we arrested was the one who gunned down her, her husband and unborn child."

"You got the guy who killed Katie and Michael?"

"You knew about that?"

"Yeah, Marty and I were already friends when it happened. I met them once or twice; we weren't exactly what you'd call close. They were nice people but we didn't run in the same circles. Marty was our only connection. He was really torn up about it. For once it was me pushing him into playing basketball, trying to get him out of his funk about the whole thing."

Kip was starting to get worked up again. "Damn it, Kensi! You should have told me how bad it was! I would've cut my road trip short! Coach would've understood. He knows Marty's the reason he has the leading scorer in the league on his team. I would've liked to have been here for him, for you!" His voice had risen during his rant.

"Don't be giving my girl a hard time! She'll kick your ass into next week." The voice was weak and hoarse but music to both their ears.

Kensi rushed to his side and grabbed his hand. Her own was trembling. "You're awake! Oh baby, it's good to hear your voice, see your eyes open! I've missed you so much!" She leaned down and kissed him. When she stood back up, he was looking at her in confusion.

"What happened? You missed me? How long was I out?"

"What do you remember?" Kensi turned worried eyes toward Kip, not sure if she wanted to be the one to tell him everything that had happened to him if he couldn't remember.

"Don't worry Fern. I remember being in that damn packing plant, I remember everything those bastards did to me. The last thing I remember was seeing Sam coming through the door." He sucked in a breath and tried to sit up. "Sam? Is he okay? Please, Kensi, tell me Sean didn't kill him!" The pain in his ribs, chest and back forced him back down on the bed, his breath coming in pants.

"Sam's fine, Deeks! You saved his life!"

"I don't remember that part; all I remember is the door opening, Sam's head coming through and Sean taking aim. You're sure he's okay? You wouldn't lie to me about that, would you?"

"Why would I lie about that?"

"To keep me calm until you felt I could handle it better?"

Kensi pulled out her phone and hit the number 4 speed dial. When the owner answered she said "Sam, there's someone here who wants to talk to you." She handed the phone to Deeks.

"Sam? Is that you? Are you okay?"

"Seriously Deeks? I'm at home with Michelle and Kam, _you're_ the one who's in the hospital and you want to know if _I'm_ okay? I think you need the doctor to take a closer look at you. Maybe you _do_ have a brain injury!"

Deeks huffed out a laugh and heard the same words as last time. "Laughing is good."

He nodded, even though Sam couldn't see him, and replied the same as last time. "Yeah."

"It's good to hear your voice. Oh man, did I really just say that? Maybe I'll get the doc to take a look at me when I come to visit you. Maybe _I'm_ the one with the brain injury."

"You love me, just admit it!"

There was silence on the other end of the phone, not at all what Deeks had been expecting. He'd figured Sam would come up with some funny put down. Finally Sam spoke again, his voice hushed. "You need to stop doing this to us Deeks! Apparently you need us there to watch your back at every second. It's time to walk away from LAPD and become an NCIS agent."

Deeks frowned, not exactly sure why Sam would think he needed to leave LAPD. Becoming an agent was something that had been on his mind more and more lately but it was good to hear Sam encouraging him to do so.

He was brought out of his reverie when Sam said "Michelle wants to say hi."

He could hear the rustling of the phone being handed off and another voice came over the line. "Marty? How are you sweetie?"

"Hi Michelle. I don't really know. I just, I just woke up here. I don't remember much after the raid started on the plant. Is Sam really okay?"

"He's fine, not a scratch. He was really worried about you though, we all were. I'm so glad you're finally awake." She paused. "Marty, now it's my turn. I'll owe you for the rest of _my_ life for saving him for us. This is becoming a habit, you saving a Hanna."

"Someone has to do it. You guys always manage to get yourselves into trouble!"

"Very funny! I'm glad you're doing better. Sam and I will be in to see you soon. Can you put Kensi back on for a minute?"

"Sure. Um, will you be bringing Kam with you?"

"We'll see. She has school but I know she's worried about Uncle Marty."

"Tell her I said hi and not to worry, I'm going to be fine!"

"I will." Deeks handed the phone back to Kensi. She took it and walked a little ways away, signaling Kip with her eyes and a nod of her head to keep Deeks occupied.

"Hi Michelle."

"How is he Kensi, really?"

"Um, he's awake but the doctor hasn't been in yet. I haven't even had the chance to let the nurses know. His friend Kip showed up for a visit and he just woke up. He looks better to me but I know he's in pain and hiding it. I also think he's confused."

"What does he remember?"

Kensi filled Michelle in on the little she knew. He'd only been awake less than a half hour at this point and Sam had been the first thing on his mind. They hadn't had the chance to get into all the details of what had happened before, during and after the raid, and she didn't want to do that while Kip was in the room. When they finally hung up, she turned to look back at the bed.

Kip was telling Deeks some story about a situation between him and a groupie on this last road trip, one that had Deeks gasping out little laughs even though she could see that each one caused him pain. She watched the two friends interact and wondered at how two such different people could have such a deep connection. For some reason, it reminded her of Thapa, even though Kip was as far from the spiritual, knife wielding Ghurka as you could get. As she watched, Deeks's eyelids started to droop and she knew he wouldn't be awake much longer. This time though, the sleep would be a natural, healing one.

She wandered over to them, just in time to catch the tail end of Kip's story. "And then her husband shows up and starts accusing _me_ of hitting on his wife! I tried to be gracious and walk away but he wasn't having any part of it. He actually took a swing at me! I ducked and caught him with an upper cut. Dude went down like a sack of potatoes. Then the groupie is all over my case, yelling at me for hitting her husband. What was I supposed to do? Let him deck me for something I hadn't even done?" Kip wound down and took a closer look at Deeks. He, too, could see that his friend was tiring. It was time to leave.

He wanted desperately to give him one of their bro hugs but knew that was out of the question and he certainly wasn't going to kiss him. He settled for placing a hand on his shoulder and squeezing. "I'm glad you're going to be okay Marty-Mar. I don't ever want to find out what it's like to not have you in my life." Kensi had to smile at how uncomfortable this admission seemed to make the basketball player. The friendship between the two, while unlikely, was years in the making and very real.

They said their goodbyes and Kensi walked Kip out, telling Deeks she would be right back. Kip looked at her once the door closed behind them. "You'll take care of him, won't you?"

"Of course! You know I will. You didn't need to ask me that."

"I know. I know how much you love him. It's just…it's hard for me to see him like that! To know that another human being _did_ that to him. Although I find it hard to call the one who did _that_ , a human being. "

"You're not alone! You should have heard the doctor who treated him. She told us if we hurt the monster that did this, to not bother bringing him here, to her hospital, for treatment."

"I think I'll like this doctor!"

Kensi smiled, thinking of Moira. She had a feeling the two of them would hit it off. She was sure she'd find out soon enough. "How long are you in town for this time?"

"Two and a half weeks. We're on a west coast schedule right now. We have mostly home games and the couple of the road ones aren't far away, they won't require us to stay overnight. I'll be in to see him as much as possible. Don't be surprised if a couple of the guys from the team show up with me. They've all met Marty at one time or another and they like him. Coach too."

Kensi smiled, idly wondering what the administrators would think of celebrity NBA players wondering in and out of their hospital all day. She'd worry about that when the time came. Kip gave a huge yawn and she realized he'd probably been traveling most of the day and dealing with the time change. The game last night had been in Boston against the Celtics. She didn't even know who'd won and she didn't really care. "Kip, go home, get some sleep. I'll be here all night and tomorrow. Come back when you're more rested and he can stay awake for a longer period."

"Thanks Kensi. For everything. For being there for him, for loving him." His words were filled with sincerity and concern.

Kensi blushed a little and tried to hide it in a goodbye hug. Kip let her and kissed her on the top of her head. "I'll see you both tomorrow some time. Try to get some sleep yourself."

"Are you saying I look haggard, Mr. Brigham?" Kensi drew herself up to full height, the look in her eyes belying the belligerent question.

"What? No, no, no! I would never say that! I have it on good authority that you can kick my ass into next week!"

They both laughed and said their final goodbyes. Kensi watched him walk away and, once he was out of sight, she poked her head back into the room. Deeks was sound asleep again. She smiled at him and closed the door gently. She turned and went off to track down Caro, to tell her that he'd woken up and had been talking, coherently this time. She knew Moira would want to know and she had a ton of calls to make. Deciding it would take too long to call everyone who'd want to know, she sent a group text to those whose number she had in her phone.

"He's awake!"

~,~,~,~

A/N – well finally! I thought he'd never wake up, although, hard to believe as it is, it's only been a few days.

A/N 2 – thanks for RiconV35 for the idea to bring Kip in! I'd completely forgotten about him and decided to blame his absence on the road trip and the fact that Kensi hadn't told him the whole truth, knowing there was nothing he could do from the other side of the country.


	68. Chapter 68

Chapter 68

Kensi walked back to Deeks's room, having found Caro and updated her on the fact that he'd woken up. The little nurse had given her a hug, telling her how happy she was for them and that she'd let Dr. Shaugnessy know. Even unconscious, Deeks had quickly become a favorite of all the nurses. Kensi looked up and saw the woman she was just thinking about, headed her way. She stopped outside the door to his room and waited for Moira. When the doctor reached her she smiled widely at her as she said "That was quick! I just talked to Caro a few minutes ago."

Moira looked confused and said "What was quick?"

"You getting here. I just told Caro that he woke up and here you are."

"He's awake? That's great news! I haven't talked to Caro, I just started my shift. I'm on nights the next couple days and was coming to check in on him. How does he seem?"

"He's a little confused and I know he's in pain, although he didn't say so. A friend of his was here and they had a nice visit until he fell asleep again."

"That's to be expected. His body went through an ordeal and he'll sleep a lot as he heals. He'll still need pain medication which will also make him sleepy. Let's go in and I'll check on him." She reached for the door handle but Kensi stopped her.

"I need to warn you Moira, he's going to beg to be released as soon as possible. He hates hospitals and he'll lie through his teeth about feeling good enough to go home. If that doesn't work, he'll try using his puppy dog eyes on you!" Both women laughed at the picture that formed in their heads at Kensi's words. The laughter came to an abrupt halt when they heard a scream from inside the room. Moira flung the door open and the two women charged inside to find Deeks in the middle of a full blown nightmare. He was thrashing around on the bed and had already torn out his IV. The monitor showed that his heart rate was high and going higher.

Kensi rushed to his side and grabbed one of the hands he was flailing around. "Deeks! Baby, I'm here and you're safe! Wake up! Come on, baby, wake up!"

His eyes opened but were unfocused. "No! Don't! No more, please, no more!" he whimpered.

Her heart broke at his words and she squeezed his hand, rubbing circles into the back of it with her thumb. "Deeks, it's over! You're in the hospital now! I need you to wake up! Look at me baby, I'm here, you're safe! " She said again.

He blinked a couple times as he came fully awake and then asked "Kensi?"

"Hi baby. I'm here; no one is going to hurt you again! I won't let them." She said softly as she leaned down and kissed him, feeling his whole body trembling. She stroked his hair back from his forehead and then down his arm, trying to calm him. She could feel the trembling slowing down and knew he was coming out of it. He looked over her shoulder and frowned at the strange woman standing behind her. He knew the white coat meant she must be a doctor but he didn't know her.

Moira stepped up to the bed and introduced herself. "Mr. Deeks, I'm Dr. Moira Shaughnessy. I'm the doctor who's been taking care of you. I need to fix your IV now, is that okay?" Moira was being cautious, not sure if he was fully awake yet, not wanting to scare him. She couldn't even imagine the demons that had been stalking him in that nightmare.

"It's Marty."

Moira smiled as she recalled Kensi telling her he'd insist on her using his first name. "Well, Marty, it's nice to finally meet you! I've heard all about you from your friends. I feel like I already know you."

Deeks raised his eyebrows and asked "Hopefully it was all good? Anything bad was just them being jealous of me." He smiled at her, feeling somewhat embarrassed at how their first meeting had gone.

Moira smiled back and said 'Yes, all good. You've got a lot of people who've been waiting for you to wake up. How are you feeling?" She started to fix his IV and was watching him carefully.

"I'm good. When can I go home?"

Moira started to laugh. "Kensi knows you only too well! She warned me you'd be begging to go home as soon as possible. Let's take it one day at a time. You're healing nicely but you aren't ready to leave us just yet."

Deeks pouted and then turned his eyes on her, widening them and trying to look as soulful as possible. Moira forgot what she was doing as she stared into them, thinking he really was adorable. She blushed when she heard Kensi laughing behind her. "I warned you Moira! Puppy dog eyes!"

Moira laughed along with her. "You really are good at that, aren't you Marty?"

"Apparently not, seeing as it seems I'm not going to be able to go home today." Deeks grumbled, pouting at her.

"One day at a time, Marty, one day at a time." Moira finished fixing the IV line and proceeded to check all his vitals, then turning him slightly on his side to look under the bandages on his back and legs. He grunted a little at the pain of the movement but didn't complain. When she was done, she patted him on the arm and said. "Be a good boy and you'll get out of here sooner, rather than later."

Deeks jaw dropped open slightly at being spoken to like a child and was about to say something about it when he saw the look in the woman's eyes and he realized she was teasing him. He smiled and said, like that good boy, "Yes, Dr. Shaughnessy."

"It's Moira." They grinned at each other, each thinking they liked the person they saw in front of them. Moira turned to Kensi and said "Everything looks good. Let Caro know if you need anything. I'll come back before I go off shift to check in again.'

"Thanks, Moira. For everything."

"You're more than welcome. I'll see you two later." Moira said as she left. As the door closed behind her, the two in the room heard familiar voices greet the doctor. The rest of the team had arrived. Kensi knew neither Moira nor Caro would complain that Sam and Callen were here after visiting hours. They'd all become very friendly and the hospital personnel had become used to them being here at all hours of the day and night. The door opened and their teammates walked in.

"Well, it's about time Sleeping Beauty! I was starting to think you were going to sleep forever!" Said Sam as he walked up to the bed and grasped Deeks's hand, squeezing it hard enough that Deeks winced a little.

"Forever? How long was I out **?"**

"We brought you in a little over four days ago."

"Four days? Why was I out so long?"

Kensi stepped closer to the bed and put a hand on his shoulder, ready to calm him as Sam continued. "Your injuries were bad enough that they kept you under sedation. One of your broken ribs punctured a lung when you pushed McGonagle off the platform, spoiling his aim and saving my life. They intubated you to let your lung concentrate on healing. They just took the tube out early this morning and started to decrease the sedation."

"Intubated?" He shuddered, closing his eyes, now glad that he'd slept through the whole thing. He'd been intubated once before and it hadn't been a pleasant experience, one he'd hoped never to have happen again. Suddenly he opened his eyes, looked up at Sam and said. "McGonagle and Robinson! Tell me you got them?" His voice showed his agitation and Kensi squeezed his shoulder.

Callen answered. "McGonagle is dead and Robinson is in jail. He sang like a bird, giving up Parks and Timmons as well as naming a mole inside both LAPD and NCIS. It's been a busy few days!"

"McGonagle's dead? He's really dead? I can't say I'm sorry! Who got him?"

All three answered as one. "Hetty!"

Sam and Callen proceeded to tell them both about the raid and how McGonagle had gotten the drop on Granger and Hetty's words after she'd shot him. The last got laughs from both Kensi and Deeks as they pictured the diminutive woman saying she'd only saved Granger because he was almost trained and she didn't want to have to start over. The two men filled them both in on everything else that had happened, mostly for Deeks sake as Kensi knew pretty much all of it already. He was upset when he found out an LAPD officer was dead at the hands of another. He smiled when they told him how pissed Kensi had been when she found out they'd kept her in the dark until it was all over. How Hetty had promised her that she could be the one to let Timmons know how many additional charges were being filed against him, to make up for it.

"Can I go with you when you do?" he asked Kensi. "I'd pay money to see that!" He grinned ferally at her and she knew exactly how he felt.

She smiled and replied "If you're a good boy and do everything the doctor says, we'll see." He pouted again and got about as far with her as he had with the doctor. The others laughed and they continued the visit with him a while longer, telling him that Nell, Eric, Hetty and Granger all sent their best and that they'd be in tomorrow to see him.

All three made a point of telling him everything positive that Granger had said about him and Deeks grinned. "I knew there was a heart under that gruff exterior, we just had to dig a bit longer than I thought."

The others hmmphed, knowing Deeks tended to see the best in everyone but they had to admit, he'd managed to get to the Assistant Director when no one else had. At one point, when Callen and Kensi were talking to each other, Sam pulled his phone out of his pocket and thumbed it open. Keeping a careful watch on his partner, he scrolled through the pictures until he got to the one he wanted. Finding it, he checked again to make sure his partner was otherwise occupied and held the phone out to Deeks.

Frowning, wondering why Sam was handing him his phone, Deeks reached out and took it. He looked at the picture staring back at him and his mouth dropped open. He was about to laugh hysterically when Sam, who somehow knew it, reached out and put a hand over his mouth. Looking up at Sam, Deeks saw the warning on his face and nodded. He'd have to wait until later to give in to the laughter. When Sam took his hand away, Deeks mouthed to him "Send it to me?" Sam looked torn, he wanted to give Deeks something funny to think about but he knew his partner would be pissed if he found out that he'd shared the picture of him in the blonde wig. Looking at the fading bruises on Deeks's face, he made his decision and nodded yes and Deeks grinned up at him. That look alone would make it worth the wrath of Callen when he found out. Sam knew it was inevitable that he would. Eventually, the two men took their leave when they saw Deeks was fading. After they left, Kensi sat down and took his hand, intertwining their fingers. She stared at them, not saying anything.

"What's wrong Kens?"

"How can you ask me that? I almost lost you, again."

"But you didn't! You guys saved me, just like I knew you would."

"You knew we would?"

"Of course! I knew you guys wouldn't stop until you found me, I just hung on until you did." He squeezed her hand and let it go. Reaching out, he put a hand under her chin and lifted her head, making her meet his eyes. "I had complete faith in you and in the team. You're the best at what we do and I trusted you to find me."

She smiled at him and leaned up to kiss him. He raised his hand behind her neck and deepened the kiss. Neither heard the door open behind them.

A laughing voice said "Am I interrupting?" Deeks didn't recognize the voice but Kensi did. She smiled against his lips and kissed him for a few seconds longer before moving away.

"Hi Craig!" Kensi turned and smiled at the ER nurse standing in the doorway.

"Hey Kensi. Moira told me Marty was awake and I wanted to finally meet him. I'm just heading off shift and thought I'd drop in."

Deeks was looking from one to the other in confusion. Who was this guy and why did he seem to know Kensi so well? He felt a stirring of jealousy as he took in the very good looking man dressed in scrubs who was moving further into the room, his girlfriend happily smiling at him. Kensi stood up and made the introductions. "Marty Deeks, this is Craig Trent. He's an ER nurse here and he saved your life."

"He what? How?"

Kensi realized they hadn't filled him in on the attack at the hospital and could kick herself for her words. Sighing she said "McGonagle found out where you were through the mole at NCIS. He got in here dressed as a janitor and stabbed you in the leg, nicking the artery. We think he hoped you would bleed out before anyone realized it, his way of cleaning up loose ends. Craig happened to stop in to check on you and sounded the alarm. They had to stitch you up but because he discovered the injury so quickly after it happened, there was very little damage."

Craig smiled at the man in the bed, expecting to get a smile in response but he found the detective staring at him with an odd look on his face. Craig tilted his head a little, his smile fading as he wondered what was going on, when he saw the man's eyes flick to Kensi and then back to him. His smile returned, bigger than before, realizing that he was jealous! He thought about how to make him realize that he wasn't interested in Kensi and a thought came to mind. He could kill two birds, as it were.

"So, um, I hear you know Talia, I mean, Agent Del Campo, pretty well. Anything you can tell me about her?"

Deeks heard the interest in the nurse's voice and he felt relieved. He smiled at him for the first time, realizing he'd come off as less than grateful to the man. "Yeah, I know Talia pretty well. The least I can do to thank you for saving my life, is to fill you in on some things about her." He held out his hand to Craig, who took it and shook.

Craig said "We also have a mutual friend. Tara Langley?"

"You know Tara?"

"Yeah, as an EMT she comes into the hospital quite often. She and I have become friends. I've been out with her and Dave a number of times. I hear it was you that introduced the two of them."

The two men traded stories about Tara and Deeks was stunned when he found out that Tara had been on the rig that brought him to the hospital, all of them commenting that it was a small world. Deeks filled the nurse in on some things about Talia until Craig looked at his watch and realized how long he'd been there. He'd been at work for ten hours and it was time to head home and get some sleep. He was on shift early the next day. He stood up and shook Deeks's hand again, promising to stop in again when he had the chance. Kensi walked him out.

After he left, Deeks said "I like him! I think he'd be good for Talia."

"That's exactly what I thought! They'd be perfect for each other!" Kensi said, a little too enthusiastically.

Deeks started to laugh and then gasped as the pain hit. The meds were wearing off. Kensi quickly came to his side. "What's wrong? What do you need?"

"I think it's time for some more of the good stuff Kens. Damn, this hurts!" He gritted his teeth and clutched the bed covers as another wave of pain flowed over him. Kensi reached out and pushed the button that would release the morphine into his IV line and watched as the lines of pain started to ease off his face. He sighed with relief and opened his mouth to say thank you but yawned widely instead. She smiled as she watched him fight the sleep that was overtaking him, talking quietly to him until he lost the fight and drifted off again.

She sat looking at him for a while, thinking about what he'd said about having absolute faith that they would find him. She hadn't had that same faith. She'd been beside herself with worry and fear. She found herself wondering again if they could do this, be both partners and lovers. If she had to choose, she'd pick lover, even though she'd never trusted anyone to have her back in the field the way she trusted him. She remembered Michelle's words about it all being worth every moment of worry and fear to have the moments of love and happiness and felt something lift from her heart, a weight she didn't even know had been there. They'd make it. Whether as partners and lovers or just lovers, Marty Deeks was stuck with her, now and forever. She yawned, suddenly realizing how exhausted she was. She put her head down on the bed, tightly holding his hand in hers as she drifted off herself.

~,~,~,~

A/N – thanks to yellowcallalilly for the prompt about the picture of Callen in the blonde wig being shown to Deeks. It will come up again; I just can't let it go.


	69. Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Deeks awoke with a strangled gasp, his breath coming in shallow pants, his entire body covered in a thin sheen of sweat. He stared at the ceiling in the low light of the hospital room, trying to recover his equilibrium. He closed his eyes and applied what Nate had taught him the last time. He was on the beach; it was a beautiful sunny day. The sky was blue with a few white puffy clouds. He could hear the waves crashing on the sand, the sound of the gulls circling overhead. The swells weren't surf worthy but that wasn't what he was there for. He headed into the water with his board until he was out beyond the break. He sat on it and let the ocean wash away the remnants of the nightmare. This was the second one since he'd woken up for the first time.

When his breathing was under control and the dream was all but gone, he opened in his eyes again and sighed. He didn't want to go through this _again_. The first time had been one time too many. In his mind, he went over his visits with Kip, with Sam and Callen, the meeting with Moira and Craig and frowned. Things were different this time, he didn't feel like he wanted to crawl into a hole and pull it in after him. He didn't feel like he wanted to distance himself from everything and everyone. His breathing started to get erratic again when a panicked thought crossed his mind. Was he getting _used_ to being tortured? Was that why he was reacting differently this time? He heard Nate's voice in his head from the time he'd tracked him down at the beach, after he'd blown off a meeting with their semi-resident shrink. Words about how his brain was trying to make sense of what had happened by trying to find something from his past to compare it to and that, not finding anything, was making it work harder.

Working it through, he started to realize why things were different now. This wasn't the first time he'd been whipped, although his father had been more apt to use his belt and only used whatever else was at hand if he was too drunk to get it off. He vividly remembered another day when his dad had once again been so drunk he couldn't see straight. He'd woven his way to the kitchen to get another beer but dropped it as he pulled it out of the refrigerator. It had shattered on the floor. Seven year old Marty Deeks had made the mistake of being in the same room at the same time and hadn't been able to stop himself from making a startled sound at the loud noise of the bottle smashing into pieces. Somehow it had become _his_ fault that the beer had been broken and his father had picked up the still intact bottle neck and driven it into his small son over and over. He remembered how the first few had burned and stung from the remaining drops of beer that had clung to the glass. He'd tried to run away but he was still bruised and sore from the beating the day before and his father had caught him easily. Several of the cuts had required stitches, his mother explaining them away as an accident, the nurse and doctor eying him suspiciously as he'd steadfastly backed up his mom's story, as always.

As for beatings? Hell, his dad hadn't even been the only one to subject him to one during his childhood. He'd taken more than his fair share of them from the bigger kids who thought the violin playing boy was an easy target to take their anger out on. Anger about anything and everything, most times having nothing to do with him at all, just the situation they found themselves in. He'd been seen as the easy option. That was until he'd learned to fight back. He'd been beaten as a cop and flashed to the one he'd taken at the hands of Lasik and his goons in the abandoned power plant. Robinson and McGonagle hadn't been the first and, he suspected, wouldn't be the last to beat on him, as long as he continued on his chosen career path.

Things were different _this_ time because his father had prepared him for this. He had something to compare this to and he _knew_ he was strong enough to get past it because he'd already done it. The calm that came over him at that thought caused a small, relieved smile to playover his face. Who knew dear old Gordon John Brandel would actually have a positive impact on his son's life?

In the quiet of both the room and his mind, he heard a slight sound that he recognized instantly and made him realize that here was yet another reason why this time was different. Kensi. _His_ Kensi. He noticed her for the first time since he'd woken up, which was unusual. He always knew whenever she was anywhere near him, but his introspection after he'd woken up from the nightmare had stopped him from taking in his surroundings. She was another reason for the change. He had her. She would never again let him push her away like he had after Sidorov and he found he didn't have any desire to do so. The last time, it had been her pushing her way past his walls, giving him no real choice but to let her in, which had finally put him on the road to healing. The healing had continued with the support of his friends and family once he had let them in as well. He wouldn't be that stupid this time. He had finally come to the conclusion back then that, admitting when he needed help, wasn't a sign of weakness. That it actually took a strong man, or woman, to admit that there was something wrong that could _not_ be handled alone and to ask for assistance.

He looked at her, sitting in the chair, her head on the bed, his hand in hers as she slept. His love for her swept over him and he tried to move his hand away so that he could touch her hair but she made a sound of dismay in her sleep and tightened her hold on him. She looked so uncomfortable, he really needed to wake her up and make her go get some sleep somewhere where she wouldn't wake up stiff and sore. Not thinking, he lifted his other hand and tried to turn onto his side to use it to stroke her face. He gasped at the pull of the stitches across his back and chest, his ribs protesting loudly at the sudden movement, pain exploding throughout his body. She was awake instantly. "What's wrong? What do you need?" echoing her words from earlier.

"I'm fine, baby. I just moved the wrong way." He whispered to her. He smiled at the look of relief that passed over her face. She reached her free hand up to push her hair away from her face and he had to laugh at the marks on her cheek that the bedspread had left behind. She frowned at him and he sucked in his lips, trying to stop the laughter but it wouldn't be contained. He knew deep down that it was less about the marks on her face and more about the relief he felt knowing that he would get through this, with help from the ones who cared about him. He wasn't alone.

~,~,~,~

A soft knock came at the door early in the morning hours. Deeks had convinced Kensi to go lie down and get some rest shortly after he'd woken her up from her uncomfortable sleeping position. She'd reluctantly gone into the other room after extracting his promise that he'd wake her if he needed anything. He looked through to where she was to make sure that she hadn't moved. He called out a soft welcome and Moira stuck her head through the door.

"You're up."

"Yeah, only a few minutes though. It's good to see you Moira."

She walked into the room, followed by Craig. "And you too Craig!" Deeks grinned at the ER nurse, happy to see both of them. He'd actually been awake for about a half hour and was bored but hadn't wanted to wake Kensi up from her much needed sleep. "What's up?" He said softly, nodding towards the other room. "Kensi's asleep in the other room. I had to beg her to lie down."

"We'll keep it quiet then. I was thinking I'd check on you before going off shift and maybe be able to give you some good news."

"Oh? I could use some good news."

"Well, if all looks good, how would you feel about having the catheter removed?"

Deeks felt a blush rise up his cheeks. He'd been catheterized before and had hated every second of it, even though he knew that it was a necessary evil. This time was no different. There was just something about a tube being stuck up inside a very private part of him that was annoying, uncomfortable and just plain embarrassing. Moira watched the red creep up and had to smile, well aware of how he felt. She gestured to Craig and said "If we can remove it, Craig will be the one to do it. And then we can try to get you out of bed for a few minutes, maybe even take a shower"

Deeks nodded his appreciation, the idea of taking a shower more than making up for the coming catheter removal. "What do we need to do?"

"I need to check your wounds, ribs and lung. This might be uncomfortable but it will be worth it in the end." Moira moved forward and raised the back of the bed while Craig busied himself putting out a suture tray. He winced a little when he reached an upright position for the first time in days. She pulled on surgical gloves and lifted the blanket, revealing the loose scrub pants they had put him in after his surgery. She pulled the pant leg up over the bandage on his upper thigh and gently unwound it. "This is healing nicely. You should be able to put a little weight on it." She lifted his leg a little to view the wounds on the back, left from the whipping, none of which had needed stitches or bandaging after the first few days. She moved to the other leg and repeated the exercise. Both legs were pretty much healed.

"Let's see how the rest looks." She smiled at him and he grinned back. She left the bandage off his leg, confident that everything would be as she hoped and he would be able to shower. There was something to be said about the healing properties of feeling clean. She motioned to Craig, who came over and supported Deeks so he could lean forward in order for the two of them to gently unwind the strapping around his ribs. Once they were done, she gently palpitated his ribs and was pleased at how nicely they, too, were healing. She put the earpieces of her stethoscope in her ears and listened to his lungs, both of which sounded strong. She moved his shoulders, noting that the inflammation from the dislocations was gone.

While he remained in this position, she removed the large bandage from his back. Like the rest of him, these wounds were looking good; a few of the smaller ones even healed enough for the stitches to be taken out. She reached out to the suture tray and picked up the scissors to remove several groupings. Once she was done, she nodded to Craig and they gently laid him back on the bed. He was a little pale and sweaty but otherwise fine. "Ok, everything looks good. Let's let Craig remove the catheter and then he can help you into the bathroom to shower. How does that sound?"

"Like heaven!"

Moira grinned at him and pulled off her gloves. "I'll leave you two to it then. I have some other things to take care of before I go home. I'll check back in tonight when I come back on." She looked at him carefully. "You need to promise me that you won't try to overdo it."

He nodded and held up his right hand in the scouts hand sign "Scout's honor."

"Except you were never a scout!" Everyone turned at the new voice to find a sleepy Kensi leaning up against the door frame of the bathroom. She was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, mock glaring at him, daring him to refute her statement. It crossed Deeks's mind that she was absolutely adorable.

"Doesn't mean I can't believe in their oath!" He countered. Moira laughed and said her goodbyes.

Kensi smiled at him, happy to see him sitting up and looking more alert. Her heart rate increased a little at the sight of the now visible wounds on his chest and the smile faded. He picked up on it immediately and said "Kens, I'm good!" He held out his hand to her and she moved to take it. He squeezed her fingers and smiled at her again, trying to get her to respond. "Kens?"

She swallowed hard and looked him in the eyes. There was pain there but none of the anguish she was afraid she'd see. He seemed to be dealing with this better than she'd expected. She knew he was waiting for her to smile back at him so she dredged one up.

"There's my girl!. Now, you need to leave." he said.

" _I what_? _!_ " she asked incredulously.

"You need to leave, just for a little while. You can come back when I'm ready to shower."

Kensi pulled her hand out of his and fisted both on her hips, not sure why he was kicking her out. For some reason he was no longer meeting her eyes. She frowned and looked at Craig who looked everywhere but at her. "Ok, what's going on?"

Deeks and Craig both got red and refused to answer. She looked from one to the other, trying to piece things together. When she realized what was going to have to happen for him to be able to shower, she felt the laughter bubble up as it explained the two men's embarrassment. Deeks she could understand, but Craig? He was a nurse and should be used to this. She bit her lip and nodded, not trusting herself to talk. She leaned down to kiss him and went back to the other room, closing the door behind her. She put her back up against it and shook with silent laughter. It felt so good.

Back in Deeks's room, Craig helped him out of his pants and gently removed the catheter while Deeks stared at the ceiling, willing it to be over. Once it was, Craig helped him put the pants back on and the two of them looked at each other. Deeks started to laugh and Craig joined in. The nurse removed all evidence and then Deeks called out for Kensi to return. She came back in and grinned at the two men but refrained from teasing them. Craig started removing the leads to all the machines and, once done, gently began removing the IV line from Deeks's left arm. He no longer needed the saline or intravenous antibiotics and would be taking pain medication by mouth from now on. Done, he stood back; satisfied that he'd removed everything tethering his patient to the bed.

"So what now?" Deeks asked Craig.

"Now we get you to sit up and dangle your feet over the edge of the bed. If you can sit up without getting lightheaded, we'll move on to getting you to stand. Then we'll get you into the bathroom and the shower. There's a seat in there so you won't have to stand."

"Sounds good, let's get this show on the road!" Deeks pushed the blanket off and started to sit up. Craig put his hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down.

"You need to let us help you. If you fall, you'll set yourself back and then it will be longer before you can get out of here!"

"Okay, okay."

Kensi and Craig helped him sit up and move his legs off the bed. He was a little dizzy but it passed quickly. He sat for a couple minutes until he felt like he could stand without falling. With Kensi on one side and Craig on the other, he stood up for the first time in over a week. They didn't move forward right away, letting him get used to being up on his feet. When he nodded, they began a slow shuffle to the bathroom, pausing whenever he indicated he needed to stop for a moment. When they finally reached the shower, he was surprised that the short walk had almost wiped him out. He contained his embarrassment as Kensi had to help him undress. It was worth it to be able to shower and feel really clean again.

They helped him into the shower and carefully lowered him onto the built in seat. Craig turned the water on and Deeks turned his face up into the stream, reveling in the warm water running down his face and chest. Kensi stepped in with him, not caring that her clothes were quickly soaked. She sat next to him, poured shampoo into her hands and carefully washed his hair for him, trying not to hurt him. The feeling of her hands carding through his hair made him moan with relief, and a little something more. Craig watched the two of them, the sight making him ache for something unspoken. Talia drifted through his mind. He shook his head to get rid of it and said "I'm going to go strip the bed. Will you two be okay?" Kensi smiled and nodded at him. "Don't let him overdo it." She nodded again and turned back to Deeks.

Craig went back to the room and closed the bathroom door, leaving it open just a little. That way they could have some privacy but he would be able to hear if one of them called out for help. He moved to the bed and stripped the dirty linens, throwing them in the hamper just outside the room. He'd brought new ones from the linen closet and proceeded to make up the bed with fresh clean sheets and a blanket. He put out fresh bandages and ointments on the suture tray Moira had left.

Kensi finished washing his hair and he leaned into her, happy to be so close to her. It was then that he realized her body was shaking. He raised his head but she wouldn't look him in the eyes, instead raising her closed ones to the steady stream of water. Her breath hitched once, giving her away. "Kens?" he asked softly. "Baby, it's okay to let me see you cry. I would never think less of you if you did. I know it was hard on you. Believe me, I know how hard it is to be the one left behind, not knowing, worrying, and imagining the worst. It's over now and I'm getting better. I know from experience that that's when it's the hardest for the one who'd been left behind to hide the tears." He said softly as he stroked the side of her face. She turned to him, burying her head against his chest and sobbed quietly. He winced a little but kept quiet.

"You could have died. Hell, you did die! It scared me just how much that scared me." She finally opened her eyes and looked into his. He smiled a little, letting her see that he understood. She hugged him carefully, sat back up and scrubbed her face with her hands. "Ok, I'm done being a wuss now. Let's get the rest of you cleaned up before we run out of hot water."

"I don't think that will happen in a hospital Fern."

"Well it could!" Tension broken, they both laughed a little and she grabbed the wash cloth and soap. As she helped him wash, he made some suggestive comments about exactly how she could help him get _really_ clean, all of which she responded to with scolding about his not being well enough for that….yet.

When he finally declared he was clean and ready to get out, Kensi turned off the water and called Craig back in so he could help Deeks stand. Once he was out of the shower, Craig handed him one of the towels he'd left on the rack. Deeks wrapped it around his waist, finally feeling less exposed. He sat on the toilet seat and Kensi took another towel to gently dry his hair, and then moved on to patting his back and chest dry, trying hard not to catch on any of the remaining stitches. When he was basically dry, Craig handed him a clean pair of scrub pants and Kensi helped him into them. Finally done, he was helped to stand and faced the trek back to the bed with some trepidation. He was almost completely spent and wasn't sure he could make it. Kensi was watching him worriedly and he drew himself up. Smiling at her, he took the first step back and both she and Craig moved in to support him. When they made it back to the bed, he was relieved to be able to lie back down. The bed felt deliciously cool and clean and he snuggled down into it, eliciting a laugh from the other two.

Craig pulled the tray over to the bed and gently put antibiotic ointment on each of his wounds, leg, chest and back, Kensi helping to support him this time when he had to lean forward to give the nurse access. Once done, Craig re-bandaged each one and then rewrapped his ribs. Finally done they let him lie back. He looked at his patient and saw the pain in his eyes and the lines on his face. He walked over and grabbed the water pitcher off the bed side table and poured a glass. He walked back to the tray where a small cup sat with the pain pills they were replacing the IV with. Handing both to Deeks, he watched the man gratefully wash down the medication. He took the glass back and put it back on the table. Turning back, he watched the lines of pain start to iron out of Deeks's face. He smiled and Deeks smiled back.

"How do you feel?" asked Kensi.

"Lighter!" Deeks replied with a smile. "Clean for the first time since I woke up."

"Hey! You were sponge bathed daily!" said Craig.

Deeks looked at him, a horrified expression on his face. Craig immediately got defensive. "It was all strictly professional. We do that hundreds of times a week! You have nothing to be concerned about. What were we supposed to do? Let you get dirtier by the day?"

Kensi's laughter caught him off guard. He turned and looked at her with a question on his face.

"He isn't upset about the fact that he _got_ sponge baths, Craig. He's upset that he _missed_ them!"

Looking back at Deeks, he saw the smile on the man's face and knew that Kensi was right. He joined in their laughter and realized that he thoroughly enjoyed the company of these two. When the laughter died down, Craig looked down at his watch and both Deeks and Kensi picked up on it.

"Sorry we kept you so long Craig. Do you have other patients waiting for you?" asked Kensi, a note of apology clear in her voice.

"Actually, no. My shift ended about twenty minutes ago."

"Then go home, man! Don't waste your down time with us, go get some rest, hit the beach, do something other than hanging around with the sick dude!" Deeks said laughingly.

"I happen to enjoy spending time with this particular sick dude!"

Kensi and Deeks both stopped laughing and looked at Craig, who started to blush under their scrutiny. He looked at Deeks who slowly smiled at him and said "You can never have too many friends and I'm glad to think my number has increased by one."

Kensi nodded without speaking and held her hand to him. Craig took it and she squeezed hard, letting him know she agreed, before she let go. Trying to lighten the moment, Deeks asked "So, which nurses were allowed the privilege of sponge bathing all this awesomeness?"

~,~,~,~,~

A/N – Deeks's sick time in the hospital is coming to a close but he still has a ton of recovery to do. Thanks to everyone for the reviews, favs, follows and suggestions/prompts!


	70. Chapter 70

Chapter 70

Kensi sat at Deeks's side, reading a book that Nell had kindly included with her clothes. Craig had left about an hour ago and Deeks had drifted off to sleep, wiped out by his journey to and from the bathroom, the time spent in the shower, along with the pain medications. She looked up and watched him sleep for a minute, noting that his hair had begun to curl as it dried. She and the guys had always been suspicious of his claim that his hair was styled by pillow but once they'd entered their relationship, she'd discovered he'd been telling nothing but the truth. It was well on its way now. She couldn't resist and reached out to brush some of the silky strands off his forehead. His hand came up and grabbed hers. "Just couldn't resist me, could you Fern?" His eyes opened and met hers. They were full of love.

Instead of pulling her hand away and making a joke like she would have several months ago, she turned her hand over in his and intertwined their fingers. "Nope! I just can't resist you when you're sleeping." Unable to help herself she continued "You're so much easier to resist when you're awake and your mouth is moving." She laughed her scary snort laugh at her own humor.

"You wound me, Fern, you wound me!" He said as he put his free hand up to his chest in high dramatic fashion, the smile on his face giving away the lie.

Kensi looked at her watch and realized that the surprise for Deeks she'd been texted about last night, just before she'd fallen into the bed in the other room, was on its way. She tried to pull her hand away so she could go get freshened up but he wouldn't let go. They ended up in a playful tug of war.

"Hey now, what's going on here?" asked Nell from the doorway, Eric right behind her.

Deeks looked over and saw his two friends and coworkers coming in _together_ and formulated a plan. One that would require getting Nell alone. He smiled at both of them. "Hey you guys! Good to see you."

The two techies came into the room, Eric carrying his ever present tablet. He put it down on the hospital bed table and started to fidget with it. Deeks's attention was pulled away from what he was doing by Nell reaching down and kissing him on the forehead. She whispered to him "You really scared us this time Shaggy! Mystery Incorporated can't function without you; you know that, don't you? Who else could play the part of Shaggy so well?"

He looked up at make a smart remark but was stopped by the very real tears in her eyes. "Hey Velma! Don't worry; I have no intention of letting the Scoobies go on without me!" He reached up and gently ran a thumb over her check, wiping away a tear that had escaped.

She blinked her eyes several times, forcing them back and then smiled at him before turning to Eric, who nodded. He maneuvered the hospital table over the bed and pushed a button while Deeks looked on with interest. A video of an empty room appeared and he frowned, wondering what the heck was going on. When a familiar face sat down in front of the screen, he lost his breath. "Ray?" he whispered.

"Hey brother! Kensi called to let me know you were hurt. I had to see you for myself. How you doing? You look like shit man!"

"I'm…I'm doing good! How are you? How are Jenna and the baby?" He had so many questions that he couldn't think straight. A sudden thought crossed his mind and he sat up a little straighter. "Ray, this isn't safe for you! You can't be doing this!"

"Chill out! Your techies took care of it."

Deeks looked at Eric and Nell who both looked very proud of themselves. "What did you two do?"

"This is an encrypted tablet, as is the one Ray is using. We overnighted it to him yesterday. We have a secure link to him through NCIS. No one will be able to hack in and no one will ever know that you two were in contact. Ray's safe." Eric replied, proud of himself.

"Eric, are you going to get in trouble for this? You know how Hetty feels about using NCIS resources for personal business!"

"We have Hetty _and_ Granger's full approval and permission, along with Director Vance's. When Kensi brought it up, everyone was on board immediately."

Deeks turned and looked at Kensi. "You did this for me?" he asked softly. She nodded and smiled at him. He hadn't thought he could love her any more than he already did, but he'd just discovered how wrong he was. He reached out a hand and took hers. "Thank you Wikipedia!" using the nickname Ray had given her so long ago. She squeezed it hard and turned to Ray.

"You keeping out of trouble Ray?"

"You bet I am Wikipedia. I have a lot more to keep safe now than I ever did." Suddenly another face appeared in the picture, a miniature version of Ray.

"Daddy? Who you talkin' to?"

Deeks jaw dropped open as he drank in the sight of Ray's young son. He cleared his throat and said hoarsely "And who's this young man?"

Ray grinned at him. "This is my son, Andrew Martin Mitchell, although we call him Andy." Ray picked his son up and sat him on his lap in front of the screen with him.

"Andrew Martin?" asked Deeks softly. He waved at the little boy who waved back.

"Yup, he was named after the most important man in my life. My brother and best friend, the one who helped put me back on the straight and narrow, helped save my life."

"Ray…"

Ray interrupted him. "You know, I have a bone to pick with you! You promised me a call when you and Wikipedia's 'thing' worked out! I don't remember getting a call and now I hear you two have been together since last Christmas?"

"If I remember correctly, I never promised you any such thing!"

"Yeah, well, what I remember is that you denied there even being a 'thing'! I knew you were lying! I can always tell, Marty. You could never hide anything from me from the first moment we met."

Deeks opened his mouth but didn't have a response to that. The two men continued to catch up, Ray's son, Kensi, Eric and Nell joining in where they could, everyone laughing and talking over each other. After another half hour, they heard a door open and a woman's voice calling for 'Charlie'. Ray put his finger up to his lips and called out "I'm in the den babe!"

Footsteps approached and the woman said "What are you two doing in here?"

"Talking to an old friend." Ray gestured to the screen and Jenna leaned down. She had originally known Deeks as Max Gentry and hadn't liked him in the least, thinking that it was Max who kept Ray in trouble. She had been stunned when she found out he was a cop who had actually been trying to keep Ray out of jail and then grateful to him when he'd helped save both of them from Nelson Sanders after he testified against him. They had a good life now and it was all because of the man on the screen.

She frowned when she looked at him "My God, Marty! What _happened_ to you?"

"Just a little accident, Jenna, nothing to worry about. Has 'Charlie' been behaving himself?" he asked.

She smiled and nodded. "He sure has!" She paused and put a hand on her stomach. "As long as you're present, I want to tell 'Charlie' something that I just found out for myself." She turned to Ray and put one hand on his face, the other she put on her stomach. "I went to the doctor's this morning. He's going to be a father again!"

Ray put Andy down, erupted off his chair and swung Jenna around; their son jumping up and down in excitement while not really understanding what was going on. Back In L.A., congratulations were said by all and eventually they signed off, promising not to let so much time go by before the next time they spoke. Ray would have the encrypted tablet now and it would be safe to talk whenever Deeks could use the one on the L.A. side of things.

Eric shut down the tablet and Deeks sighed, missing Ray already. He shook himself out of it and looked at Eric, wondering how to get him out of the room. He grabbed Kensi's hand and pulled her down so that he could whisper in her ear. "Can you think of any way to get Eric out of here so I can tackle Nell about their relationship?" Kensi grinned at him and sat back, thinking hard and then brightened.

"Eric?"

"Yeah?"

"You don't happen to have an extra tablet that we could use for Deeks, do you? He's been a little bored and the T.V. has absolutely nothing on but soaps and talk shows during the day." She knew that Eric always had a couple tablets in the car for emergencies. Exactly what those emergencies might be, she had yet to find out.

"Sure! I got an extra one in the car right now. I'll go get it." He stood up and Kensi did too.

"I'll come with you, Eric, I desperately need a coffee. Nell, do you want one?" Kensi turned to her friend, effectively forcing her to stay behind and keep Deeks company.

"Sure." She frowned at Kensi, feeling like something was off. Eric and Kensi left the room and Nell turned back to Deeks, finding him looking at her with raised eyebrows.

"What?"

"It didn't escape my notice that the two of you came in together."

"So what? We carpool. Just like Sam and Callen, just like you and Kensi." This only earned her the sight of Deeks's eyebrows rising further. 'Okay, not like you and Kensi _now_ , but like you and Kensi _before_!"

"Come on Nell, you know, that I know, that that's not all it is. You two have been throwing off vibes for months now. You can tell me, I won't tell anyone else, I promise."

"Yeah, like I believe you wouldn't tell Kensi…and Sam…and Callen…"

"So there _is_ something to tell?"

"No! That's not what I meant! I meant that, _if_ there was something, I don't believe that you would be able to keep it to yourself!"

He blinked sadly at her a couple times and widened his eyes, looking soulful once again. Maybe third time would be the charm? It hadn't worked on Moira or Kensi. "I'm hurt Velma, I can't believe you don't trust me."

"I _do_ trust you! It's not that!"

"Then what is it?"

"Your inner lawyer is coming out. You're trying to trap me into a corner." She crossed her arms across her stomach and channeled her inner Hetty, giving him her best gorgon stare.

"Who? Me? I wouldn't do that to you. I'm surprised that you would think that of me." He looked down at the bed and plucked at the bedspread beside his leg, pulling his shoulders down in a slump.

Nell frowned, still not sure if she was being played but wondering if it would be such a bad thing to confide in him and Kensi. She hated keeping secrets from her friends and she counted the two of them as some of her best. She sighed and said "Okay, you win! Yes, Eric and I are in a relationship and have been for a couple months. We haven't said anything because we wanted to see how things worked out for you two. If you guys ended up being split up, we were never going to tell anyone." She paused and tilted her head at him, a smile playing around her lips. "Plus, it's kind of fun keeping it under wraps, playing games with everyone. Watching them scramble. Don't _think_ I didn't know about the bets being placed around whether Eric and I would get one room or two for Cassie and Paula's wedding!"

Deeks grinned at her, remembering when he and Kensi had kept their new relationship a secret. He totally understood and now kind of wished he hadn't pushed her. "I promise not to tell anyone. Not even Kensi, unless you say it's okay to do so."

"Really? You'd keep this from Kensi?"

"If you asked me to? Yes, I would. It would be tough because you know how much Kensi loves you and Eric. You two belong together and everyone has been pulling for you for ages!"

"You have?"

"Of course! You guys complete each other. I've never seen two people more right for each other."

"Except you and Kensi, right?"

"You think of us that way too?" He sounded surprised.

She frowned. "Of course, don't you?"

"I don't know. I guess in my weaker moments, I've always kind of thought she was a little out of my league. I still wake up every day amazed to find her by my side."

"Deeks! She is so not out of your league! You two are perfect together."

Deeks shrugged and swallowed hard. He hadn't really meant to tell her that. "Okay, now you and I both have something we know about the other that we would prefer no one else finds out. I'm willing to take your secret to the grave if you will mine!" He crossed his hand over his heart and looked at her, his eyes telling her he meant it.

"Okay, I believe you. And you can tell Kensi. It might be fun to double date now and then!"

"Awesome! I hear her coming, can we tell her now?"

"Let's wait until Eric gets back and we can do it together?"

"Do we have too?" he whined.

"Shaggy you are _such_ a child!"

"You just figuring that out, Nell?" Kensi said as she entered the room with two cups of hot coffee grasped in her hands. Deeks immediately zeroed in on them, wondering how he could at least get a sip. "What is he being a child about this time?"

Nell looked at Deeks for help. "I wanted to get up and she wouldn't let me." He quickly said.

"Deeks! You promised to not overdo it! You gave Moira the Scout's Honor pledge!"

"You were a Boy Scout?" Nell asked, disbelief in her voice.

"Why does everyone find that so hard to believe?"

Both women snorted as Eric walked through the door with the tablet for Deeks and asked "What does everyone find so hard to believe?"

"That I was in the Boy Scouts!"

"You were?"

Deeks crossed his arms over his chest and made a humph noise. He'd almost forgotten about what Nell had told him. She grinned and nudged him. He smiled and lowered his arms, grabbing her hand in his. "Kensi, Nell and I have something to tell you."

"Shaggy!" Nell yelled at him but she was laughing as she pulled her hand out of his, punching him softly in the shoulder.

Eric and Kensi looked back and forth between the two of them and then at each other. Both shrugged, knowing their partners would tell them when they were ready. Nell smiled at Kensi and walked over to Eric, holding out her hand to him. He looked at her and she nodded. He smiled in relief and took it. Together they turned to the other two who both wore identical ear to ear smiles. "Kensi, I'm sorry we kept this from you but…Eric and I have been a couple for a while now."

"I knew it! I _knew_ it! I am so happy for you guys! You two are great together! I can't wait until Deeks can get out of here. We can go out and double some night."

Kensi pulled Nell into a hug and then Eric. The two couples started sharing stories about almost getting caught out and how often people had questioned them. They laughed over some of the more risqué stories, Eric and Nell almost getting caught in the burn room and up in ops late one night when they thought everyone had gone home, Kensi and Deeks at the firing range, in the gym and, most recently, at the boat shed. Eric happened to look at Deeks after the last story and noticed the lines that were deepening around his mouth and eyes. It was time for them to leave. He made a show of looking at his watch and then he jumped up. "Nell, we need to go! We're much later than we told Hetty we'd be!"

"Chill Beale, she'll understand." Nell looked at him in confusion and met his eyes. He flicked them to Deeks and back to her. She looked at Deeks and saw the same pain lines starting to appear that Eric had. She stood up and stretched a little. "You know, you're right, we don't want to abuse her good will. We'll see you guys later? Deeks, you take care of yourself and come back to us soon, you hear?"

"You know I will, Nellasauros! And I just want to say it again you two, we're so happy for you!" Said Deeks, his hand in Kensi's. She added her agreement as the two packed up and left, waving as they walked out the door. Alone once more, he admitted to being in pain and pushed the call button. Caro bustled in, already carrying the little paper cup with his pain medication. She handed him the cup while Kensi poured his some water. He thanked both women and downed the pills in one gulp, lying back to wait for them to kick in. Caro smiled and left. While they waited, the two compared notes, giving examples of times when they had been so sure something was up between the two of them.

They were busy planning on where they would go as a foursome, both throwing out some of their favorite places, when Deeks gave a huge yawn and Kensi realized he was fighting to keep his eyes open. He was getting better but he still tired so easily, especially after taking the pills. She started to stroke the back of his hand and began to talk softer and softer, watching as his eyes would close and then he would force them open. He really did look like a small child, or maybe a shaggy puppy, fighting off bedtime, she thought. She waited until the last time he closed them when they didn't open again. She kissed him on the forehead and said "Sleep well, my love."

~,~,~,~

A/N – thanks to Hoosier65 for the idea of them calling Ray. I wasn't sure how to work it in but I hope it was okay. Raderle asked for some Eric and Nell ages ago, this is, hopefully, just the beginning. I'm getting ready for him to leave the hospital but I have a couple more prompts from people on who might visit him and one of my own that I've been dying to use.

Leave a review, leave a prompt, leave a suggestion, just don't leave the story. Wink, wink!


	71. Chapter 71

Chapter 71

Deeks had been asleep for a couple hours and Kensi was bored. She'd read as much as she wanted to of her book and now had nothing to do. She'd played with the tablet Eric had left but couldn't find a move to watch or a game to play that she didn't immediately think she wanted to share with Deeks. The knock on the door was a god send, even when she looked up to find it was Talia peeking around the door frame.

"Can I come in?'

"Of course. He's sleeping right now though." Kensi stood up and waited for Talia to reach the bed. The two looked warily at each other, both wondering if the shared bond they'd felt the night he'd been brought in would last. Talia tentatively held her arms up and Kensi smiled, pulling her into a hug.

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I don't like that! I don't like that at all! What are you two cooking up?"

Both turned to look at the now awake Deeks, who was looking from one to the other in confusion and not a little nervousness. Looking at each other, they smiled conspiratorially. Kensi turned back to look at him, tilted her head and said "Nothing you need to worry your pretty little head about…at least not yet."

"Nope, I don't like this!" He said again.

The two women laughed and Talia moved to Deeks's side. She put a hand over his and said, all levity gone, "I'm so glad to see you awake. You really scared everyone." She squeezed his hand hard and then tried to remove it, well aware of Kensi behind her.

He held on and said "I hear I have you to thank for getting the DEA involved in helping to find me. I can't thank you enough Talia."

She grinned. "I think my director was hoping it might convince you to join our team. You know, leave the dark side?"

Kensi snorted and said "Don't you mean, go over _to_ the dark side?"

They all laughed. Talia moved a little away from his side and this time he let her go. Kensi took her place and sat on the bed, motioning to the empty chair for Talia to sit. She sat down and then bounced up again, dying to update on them on everything that'd been happening.

"What's up Talia? You're bursting with something! Out with it!" Kensi said.

"You both know that Robinson named names in Parks's organization. Each one that we've brought in for questioning, when faced with terrorism charges, has given up yet more names. Some were related to drug trafficking. The DEA has managed to break up two major rings we've been following for months based on this new Intel. And we've got our eyes on several more. It's like a domino effect!"

Deeks raised an eyebrow and said dryly "Glad to hear there was some positive fallout."

Talia looked at him in horror and said quickly "I'd give up every one of those arrests if it meant this had never happened to you! You have to know that!"

He grinned at her and she realized he'd been teasing her a little, maybe to get back at her and Kensi for their own earlier teasing. She smiled back and was about to make a witty comeback, when the door opened again and Craig walked in.

The ER nurse stopped and said "Oh, sorry! I didn't realize you had company. I was just stopping in on my break to say hi. I can come back later."

Kensi and Deeks shared a look, both pretty sure that it was no coincidence that Craig's "break" had occurred just when Talia was here visiting. The man had eyes and ears everywhere in this hospital. Kensi turned and said "Don't be silly Craig! Come on in. You remember Talia?"

They watched the two as both stammered out that they remembered the other. Craig was clearly smitten and Talia seemed even more interested than the last time. It was odd to see the normally self-assured DEA agent so flustered. Kensi fully planned on encouraging this interaction and was pleased to watch them staring at each other. Trying to get past the current silence and awkwardness, Kensi said "Talia was just telling us about all the arrests the DEA has made from this case."

She was pretty sure that that would get the other female agent talking and wasn't disappointed as Talia once again got excited about the activity of the last few days. She proceeded to regale them with tales of takedowns and fire fights as each drug ring fought to protect their product and refused to give up easily. Kensi watched Craig closely; a little afraid the other woman's enthusiastic stories might be scaring him off but instead she saw only admiration and awe, and not a little lust.

Eventually Craig looked at his watch and realized he had to go back to work. He said his goodbyes and Talia asked him to wait, saying that she'd walk out with him. She turned back to Deeks and smiled. "It really is good to see you getting better. Maybe when you're out of here and feeling up to it, we can all go out for a drink to celebrate?"

Both nodded at her, wondering if Craig was going to be included in the all of us mentioned and watched the two walk out together. Kensi looked at Deeks to find him grinning at her. "Match making, Kensalina?"

"Why not? Craig's a great guy; Talia's a wonderful woman, why shouldn't I encourage whatever attraction they're feeling for each other?"

Deeks's eyebrows rose up into his hairline when he heard Kensi call Talia a wonderful woman. He knew that they'd somewhat bonded over a case they'd worked undercover together, but it had only been one day and Kensi still tended to be on edge when Talia got to close to him. He smiled as he realized that she figured if Talia was involved with someone else, she wouldn't be making inappropriate moves on him. He wondered if he should call her on it and then decided not to. She looked so very proud of herself. He had no idea what had transpired between them in the waiting room that night, when Talia had admitted to Kensi that she was in love with Deeks and Kensi wasn't about to tell him. They talked about all the information Talia had given them when they were interrupted by another knock at the door.

Deeks looked up and said in stunned surprise "Versey?"

The red head nodded and stepped a little further into the room. "Hey, Deeks. I was just dropping off a suspect in the ER. Guy was running from us and ran a red light, got t-boned by another car. I figured I'd stop up and see how you were doing while I was waiting. Bates has been keeping everyone up to date."

"Um, thanks. I really appreciate it. I'm doing better, hoping to get out of here as soon as possible."

Jeff Versey nodded and didn't know what else to say. The two of them had history but it wasn't what everyone thought. Feeling awkward he said "Well, glad to see you're better. I have to get back downstairs and make sure my suspect doesn't make a run for it after he's patched up."

"Sure. Uh, thanks for stopping in."

"You bet." Versey walked out the door and stopped. He leaned up against the wall and thought. _Well, that could have gone better_. He was about to push off and go back downstairs when he heard his name. He couldn't help but wait to hear what was said.

"What's the story with you and Versey, Deeks? Sam and Callen filled me in a little when we ran into him after you were shot at Sandune's. Something about you filing corruption charges against him?"

Deeks sighed and ran his hair through his hair, a sure sign that he was nervous or upset. "I caught him drinking on the job one time. I confronted him and he told me it was just that once, after a really bad case. I let it go but I kept an eye on him. I caught him drinking more than once and started to worry about him. He's a good cop but he was getting drunk every day. I was afraid he'd get himself killed or, worse yet, get someone else killed when he was impaired. I don't think he would have been able to come back from something like that." He stopped.

"Go on."

"I filed a corruption charge with I.A. against him. I knew he was a straight arrow and that they'd never find anything on him but I also knew they'd be watching him like a hawk. He wasn't going to be able to drink like he'd been before. It worked, he took the steps to get sober and I.A. didn't find anything on him to make a corruption charge stick."

"And?"

"And, it had a negative side effect that I didn't expect. The charge against him has interfered with him getting promoted. He's been passed up a couple times now. I've even gone to I.A. and told them that I was wrong, tried to get them to expunge it from his record, but they won't do it. I've spoken to Bates about it but he's not Versey's commanding officer, there's nothing he could do except talk to Versey's superior and he got nowhere."

"It bothers you, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it really does. Versey's a good guy and a great cop. We need guys like him out there. That's why I went at it the way I did. He just wouldn't listen to me or admit he had a problem. Unfortunately, it didn't do much for our relationship. He hates me. I'm really surprised he bothered to stop in today."

"Maybe he doesn't hate you as much as you think?"

"Maybe. You know, Kens? I think, under different circumstances, he and I could have been friends."

"You did what you thought was right, baby. He's stopped drinking and he's still out there stopping the bad guys. I'm sorry that you feel you lost out on a potential friend but there's nothing much you can do about that now."

"I know." He sighed deeply and there was quiet in the room.

Outside, Versey thought about what he'd heard. He'd always wondered why Deeks had filed those charges against him and now he knew. What surprised the hell out of him was hearing that Deeks respected and liked him. That that was why he'd gone the route he had. He shook his head. He was going to have to think about this. Maybe it was time to clear the air between the two of them, just not now when he was in a hospital bed. He pushed away from the wall and headed to the elevator, feeling a little lighter. The doors were just opening and he recognized the two men getting off. Agents Hanna and Callen, he remembered their names, hard not to when the two had basically accused him of hiring the two thugs that had shot Deeks in order to get revenge on him. He nodded at them and got a nod in return. He entered the elevator and turned back, not surprised that the two men had stopped and were watching him carefully. He didn't say anything as the doors closed.

Sam and Callen looked at each other and Sam said "Wasn't that…?"

Callen finished his sentence. "Detective Jeff Versey. Not someone I would have expected to be up here visiting Deeks."

"Yeah, me either." Sam responded, still frowning at the closed elevator doors. Callen grabbed his arm and pulled him towards Deeks's room and he went, not particularly willingly, his protective instincts when it came to Deeks kicking in.

When they entered Deeks's room, the first thing Sam said was "What was Versey doing here?"

Kensi and Deeks both looked surprised at the tone of Sam's voice. Deeks finally responded with "He was here with a suspect, just came up to say hi."

"I thought there was bad blood between you two." Said Sam.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that we don't worry when other cops get hurt. You can dislike someone but still want them to be safe."

Sam frowned and Deeks wondered what was going on in the big guy's head. "Sam?"

"I don't know Deeks. With all the corruption we've uncovered at LAPD, I'm not sure if I trust any reason he gave as to why he came up here to see you, given your past."

"Versey? You're way off base Sam, Versey is an honest cop and, if he had something to say to me, he'd say it to my face. My face found that out not too soon after I filed those charges against him. Besides, LAPD wasn't the only one with some dirty laundry that just got uncovered."

"I know. I just worry about you, that's all."

"You worry about me Sam? Aww, that's so sweet of you!"

"Keep it up Shaggy and you'll have enough to worry about _from_ me!"

The two men smiled at each other, knowing that the teasing was all good natured.

Kensi watched the two of them and met Callen's eyes. Their team leader just rolled his eyes and said "We thought we'd come by and bring you up to date on some things."

"Talia told us the DEA has broken up a couple drug rings based on Intel gathered from the people that have been rounded up." Said Kensi.

Callen looked somewhat disgruntled that his news was not really news any more. Kensi grinned at him and said "What about the guys who worked directly for Parks?" throwing him a bone.

His face lit up and he said "We've broken the back of Parks's organization. Every higher up has been put under arrest and they all cooperated as soon as we hit them with the treason and terrorism charges. With the information we've been able to get, Eric has been able to put a freeze on every one of Parks's hidden bank accounts that we could find. We've seized enough weapons to outfit a small army. In addition, the threat of treason was dead on, one of the men we arrested had names and locations of several terrorist cells working on American soil. They're all under arrest now."

"So, all's well that ends well?" said Deeks.

Three sets of angry eyes immediately rounded on him. "Whoa! Sorry! Poor choice of words?"

"Deeks, there is no outcome that would make up for what was done to you. And, I owe you an apology." Callen said.

"An apology?"

"I should have listened to you outside that warehouse. If I had, things might have gone differently."

"Maybe, but then again, things might have gone worse. That's something we'll never know. I can't pretend that what happened was nothing and that it's not causing me nightmares but I promise you, I will get past this. We all will."

All three looked at him closely, judging the sincerity of his words, relieved to see nothing on his face or in his eyes that would lead them to believe he was being less than truthful with them. The very fact that he'd admitted to the nightmares gave them hope that he would, indeed, get through this, with help from all of them. They continued to talk through the cases until another group of visitors entered the room, one of them before the rest.

Meaghan had heard his voice from down the hall and had rushed ahead of her parents into the room, practically tripping over her feet in her anxiety to get to him. She pushed past everyone and threw her arms around him, albeit gently, well aware of his injuries. "Marty! You're awake! I missed you so much!"

Deeks put his arms around her and hugged her carefully. "Hey sweetie, yeah, I am. How're you doing?"

"I'm fine." She sniffled a little. "Ryan and I broke up."

"You did? Why? I thought you two made a cute couple when I saw you together at the wedding."

"He's a nice guy but he's not _the_ guy, if you know what I mean. We're just going to stay friends."

Deeks smiled at the matter of fact tone of her voice. His girl knew what she wanted and she wasn't going to settle for anything less. He looked up to see John, Laura and Neal enter the room at a statelier pace.

"Hey guys!"

Laura looked at him and her chin quivered a little. Deeks wasn't sure what to make of it. She made her way to his side and Meaghan moved to make room for her. Laura took one of his hands and sighed. "You can't keep doing this to me little brother."

Deeks heart stuttered a little. "Brother?"

Laura looked him in the eyes and said "Yes, brother. You've taken up space in my heart right next to Perry and, like it or not, you are my brother in all but biology. You're family now Marty and we worry about you."

Deeks smiled softly at her. "Brother. I think I like the sound of that and I'm honored that you would put me in the same category as Perry." He squeezed her hand tightly. "I can't promise that I'll never get hurt again, that's just not something any of us in this line of work can do, but I can promise I'll be careful. I have to; Kensi would kick my ass if I wasn't." He looked to John, knowing that the man's opinion of him hadn't been the best when they'd first met. John smiled at him and nodded. Deeks remembered that Kensi had told him that John had had Naval Intelligence working on finding him and had insisted on being included in the rescue himself. He also knew that John would never deny Laura anything she wanted.

Laura smiled down at him, knowing that he would be careful but that there was no way he was ever going to give up what he did willingly. It was part of him, just like John's naval career was part of him. She'd worried about John when they were first married and he'd been deployed to one war torn country after another. She was a military wife and knew she could deal with it, she'd just thought that was all behind her when John had gotten promotion after promotion and was eventually kept stateside. Now this scruffy cop had entered her life and here she was, living it all over again. She looked carefully at him and realized that she wouldn't change a thing. The atmosphere in the room was quiet and heavy until Meaghan piped up. "Does this mean I get to call you Uncle Marty?"

The nonplussed look on Deeks's face caused everyone to erupt into laughter and, just like that, the tension was gone. He looked at her and finally said "I'd like that, Meaghan. I really would!"

"Great! Wait until I tell Val. She's going to be green with envy. She's been mooning around since you ended up here, crying and going on and on about how upset she was, how she had to be brave for you."

"Drama queen?"

"Exactly!"

Meaghan's eyes opened wide when she realized she had a piece of news, she refused to call it gossip, that Marty didn't know. "Neal has a girlfriend!" she blurted out.

Deeks looked at Neal in surprise. "Does he now? What's her name? Where did he meet her?" asking the questions of Meaghan but his eyes not leaving Neal's as he watched his friend get more flustered by the minute as Meaghan answered his questions.

"Her name's Cheryl Leary and she's an FBI agent. He met her right here at this hospital when we were all waiting to find out how you were that first night." Meaghan replied, her eyes sparkling and her young heart beating hard at the romantic notion of their butler finding love with an FBI agent while waiting to find out how her Uncle Marty was doing.

Deeks looked at Kensi who shrugged. She's seen the instant rapport between the FBI agent and their friend but she'd been out of the loop as far as that romance went. "Cheryl was notified that we were looking into Parks and gave us valuable information on Robinson and McGonagle. She also joined us in the rescue. She was partnered with one of the FBI agents that Robinson gunned down after Parks was released. She's been looking for justice for a long time."

Deeks sighed. "I know how she feels. I can't wait to meet her." He aimed this at Neal who finally found his voice.

"She's dying to meet you as well. She said anyone who had this many people worried about him must be someone worth knowing. She would have been here today but she's personally overseeing the case against the man who shot her old partner and she's swamped." Deeks smiled at his friend, happy that he'd found someone, even if it was at the weirdest time.

They all visited for a while longer until Moira poked her head into the room. "Is this a private party or can anyone join in?"

Deeks smiled at her and said "Come on in Moira! Is there anyone here you don't know?"

Moira looked around at the smiling people overpopulating her patient's room and wouldn't change a thing. Even Caro had turned a blind eye to the fact that Marty had more than the allowed number of visitors in his room. She smiled and said "Nope, I know everyone. How's everyone doing?"

A chorus of goods and fines met her question. She looked at Marty and eyed the machines he was hooked up to. All his vitals looked good. "Are you ready for some good news?"

Deeks looked at her expectantly, holding his breath and nodding. "I need to run some more tests but, if everything looks good, I don't see any reason why I can't release you the day after tomorrow. You'll need someone to stay with you and you won't be able to go back to work, even on desk duty, for several weeks, but I don't see any reason why you couldn't finish your recuperation at home. You'll also need physical therapy but that can be done outpatient when you're ready for it."

"Day after tomorrow? What not tomorrow?" Deeks whined.

Kensi gently swatted him and said "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, Deeks! It's only two days and then you can get out of here." She looked at Moira and said "I'll be staying with him and I'll make sure he does everything you tell him to Moira."

"Yikes, Admiral Blye makes an appearance!"

"Keep it up Deeks and I'll show you Admiral Blye."

"Promises, promises!" He smirked at her, daring her to remember an incident a few weeks ago.

Kensi blushed hotly and opened her eyes wide at Deeks, motioning slightly with her head towards Meaghan. Deeks mouth dropped open a little and he started to blush too. "I mean, I know you'll keep your promise to Moira that I'll follow all her rules." He stammered out.

Biting her lip, trying not to laugh at them, Laura made the offer that she and John had talked about on the way over. "Marty, when you get out of here, I want you and Kensi to go to the Santa Barbara house for as long as you want to."

"Really? That would be awesome Laura! I can't imagine anywhere more peaceful to recover. That's very generous of you." Deeks replied.

"You're family and we'll be happy to know that you're using the house. Neal and I will start the ball rolling to get it ready for you."

Sam said "Michelle, Kamran and I will come out and visit you there. Kensi has told me all about it; I can't wait to see it! Maybe Aiden will be able to get home as well."

Callen added his two cents "You guys aren't going without me!"

Sam rolled his eyes at his partner and good naturedly agreed to let him tag along.

Deeks looked around the room, full of people who cared about him, finding himself including Moira in that company and felt his heart swell. Who would have thought that he'd be part of this extended family? He felt Kensi squeeze his hand and he turned his head to look at her. The love of his life, his reason for being. He really needed to go ring shopping soon.


	72. Chapter 72

Disclaimer – haven't said it in a few chapters so, just in case you were wondering, nope, still not mine. No matter how much I pretend otherwise, they still belong to CBS and Mr. Brennan.

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Chapter 72

It'd been a long two days. Deeks wanted out and, now that he knew that he was going to be released soon, he was restless and bored. He'd finally asked Moira one time too many if he couldn't go home sooner and she'd snapped, telling him that if he kept asking, she'd keep him here another day for each time he asked thereafter. He stopped asking. Luckily, there was a steady stream of visitors to keep him and Kensi from killing each other. Kip had been true to his word and had come to visit again, bringing a couple team mates with him.

Deeks had introduced his friend to his doctor and had seen the interest in Kip's eyes. Moira was a looker he realized as he made the introductions, her dark red hair, fair skin and green eyes that of the quintessentially Irish, even if she wasn't his type. His type was a tall, kick ass brunette with dark mismatched eyes. It hadn't helped Kip's ego to find out that Moira knew nothing about basketball and could care less. Truthfully, Deeks was happy that she didn't seem as interested in Kip as he was in her. He loved his friend with all his heart, but the man was a player and he wouldn't want to see the doc get hurt. She was too nice a person. What neither of them knew was that Moira _was_ interested but that Caro, the basketball fanatic, had filled her in on his bad boy status. She wouldn't jump into anything but planned on keeping her options open, teasing him a little with her feigned disinterest until she got to know him better, protecting her heart. She'd been burned before and wasn't willing to walk into something without both eyes open. Meanwhile, it was kind of nice to have a good looking man drooling over her.

The night before Deeks was going to be sprung; Cassie and Paula came by and told him that they had news. They were both beside themselves with excitement and not a little anxiety. Kensi was excited to hear what it was, as the last time they'd hinted they had something to tell them, they'd refused to tell her when he wasn't awake to hear it at the same time.

"Okay you two, what's going on that has you both in a tizzy?" he asked.

Paula looked at Cassie and nodded her head. Together they looked at him and said "We're having a child and we want you and Kensi to be his godparents!"

"What? Oh my God! That's awesome and, of course I'll be the godfather! I'd be honored! How do you know it's a boy already?" Deeks replied, looking from one to the other, trying to figure out which one was pregnant as neither one of them was showing. Kensi was silent, in total shock.

Cassie laughed and said "We're adopting silly! His name is Aaron and he's five years old. His mom and dad were killed in a car accident about a little over a year ago and he has no other family. We met him at his foster home a few weeks ago and we both fell in love with him right away! He is so adorable. You're going to love him too!" Cassie pulled a picture of a young boy out of her bag and showed it to them. Both agreed that the boy was, in fact, adorable.

"I'm so proud of you two!" Deeks said. "You know you're going to be great moms, right?"

"We hope so. This isn't something either one of us ever thought we'd have but it's going to be a reality in about two months, once all the paperwork and home visits are done. We're both so happy, even if a little scared."

Deeks realized that Kensi hadn't said a word and turned to find her looking lost. "Kens?"

"I've never been anyone's godmother before! What do I need to do? What if he hates me?"

Cassie, Paula and Deeks burst into laughter at the plaintive tone in her voice. "Babe, you're going to be great and we can always call on your mom if we need to! Plus there's always Michelle. And Joelle, even if she doesn't have kids of her own, she's a grade school teacher; she knows how to handle them. We'll be fine, it's not like we're the ones adopting."

She blinked a couple times, realizing she had overreacted and added her congratulations to his, telling them that she, too, would be honored to be their child's godparent, tearing up as she said it. By the time the two women had left, they were already making plans for a party to welcome him to his new home. Kensi turned to Deeks to find him looking contemplative.

"What's going on in that head of yours?"

"It just seems like most of my friends are settling down, getting married and starting families. Chris and Cindy with L.C., Tara and David are engaged and I know they plan on starting a family right away, Cassie and Paula are married and now adopting. I'm starting to feel old, Kensi!"

She laughed at him and sat on the edge of the bed. She took his face in her hands and said "You'll never be old Deeks. You just aren't capable of it."

"And just what _exactly_ is that supposed to mean?"

She leaned down and kissed him instead of replying and he soon forgot her words, his world narrowed only to the feel of her lips on his and her hands wondering over his body. Again, he wished with all his might that he was out of here and home where he could make good on her promises.

~,~,~

The final day dawned bright and sunny. Moira came to visit and confirmed that he was healed enough to go home, removing a few more stitches that were ready to be taken out. That left only a few and she'd take them out at his follow up. While the doctor was with him, Kensi left to go back to their place to put together enough clothes for the two of them to spend some time at the Santa Barbara house. Hetty had told her to take as much time as they needed to make sure "our Mr. Deeks" was able to care for himself. She figured she had at least a week before having to go back to work. Luckily the injured leg was his left and he would be able to drive himself to his physical therapy and doctor's appointments once he had gained some of his strength back. He would be out of work for a bit longer than that, eventually coming back to desk duty until he was deemed fit enough to go back into the field. She would miss having her partner out there with her; she hated being the third wheel to Sam and Callen.

When asked, Laura had told her that Monty was welcome as well, so Kensi packed for him first. She threw his bed, dishes and food into the back of the Audi. She followed that up with Deeks's violin and guitar. She figured as long as he was going to be lazing around doing nothing, he could work on some music and, if it so happened that he wanted to, he could serenade her. She deliberately left his surf board and wetsuit where they were. If they were anywhere in the house, he would be tempted to go against doctor's orders and try to get in some surfing.

As she was packing for the two of them, haphazardly pulling things out of drawers and throwing them into the suitcases she had open on the bed, she found something that made her pause. She had been going through Deeks sock and underwear drawer, amazed at how neatly everything was put away, looking nothing like hers which was overflowing with bras, socks and underwear pushed in any old way, when she found a manila envelope with her name on it underneath everything. She pulled it out and fought with herself. Should she open it or not? After all, it was addressed to her in his handwriting. It looked and felt like it might just contain paperwork, not a letter or anything personal. Finally giving in to her curiosity, she opened it to find Deeks's will and some insurance papers. Reading through them, she was amazed to find that he'd made her his beneficiary. What really surprised her about that was the date, which was from before they'd even acknowledged that they had a "thing". It just reinforced to her how he has always had her back, even when it didn't involve work... and just how close it had come to fruition. She shook her head, not wanting to continue with this line of thought, desperate to get back the happy feelings of anticipation for a week at the beautiful house on the beach that she'd been feeling. She carefully put the papers back into the envelope and put it back where she'd found it. She stared at it a moment longer and then gently shut the drawer.

She finished packing, refusing to think of how close that paperwork had come to being necessary and pulled the suitcases down the stairs and into the living room, to find Monty waiting for her with his leash in his mouth, his tail wagging his whole body. He'd been home from the vet for several days and appeared to have no long term effects from his injuries. She still couldn't believe how he'd protected Nell. The sight of Deeks's furry best friend pushed the last of the gloomy thoughts out of her head and she knelt down to hug the dog in gratitude.

"You miss daddy don't you? Do you somehow know we're going to go get him? We're all going on a vacation baby, but you're going to have to be careful with daddy. No jumping on him until he's better. Can you do that for me?"

The dog looked up at her and woofed, the leash falling out of his mouth at her feet. She grabbed it and stood up. She took a last look around, knowing that if she'd forgotten anything any of them needed, she could just run to the store but obsessively running through things in her head anyway. She clipped the leash to Monty's collar, shut the door and threw the suitcases in the back with everything else. She got Monty into the backseat and buckled in. By the time she was ready to head back to the hospital, she felt like she'd run a race and was ready to head out to the paradise that was the Shelton's get away house.

When she walked into his room, he was dressed and ready to go. The cards and gifts he'd received were carefully packed away. The flowers that were still good were given out to other patients who could use some cheering up, along with the couple of balloons that still had air in them. Caro, Craig and Moira were with him, knowing that he was ready to go but also knowing that he was going to be missed. They had all exchanged numbers with him and extracted promises to stay in touch. Moira handed Kensi his medications and some instructions, as well as letting her know when his follow up with her was. As expected, he protested at having to be pushed out in a wheelchair. Moira simply asked if he'd like to stay then and he'd immediately levered himself into it and said to Kensi "Home Jane."

She laughed and said "There's someone waiting for you in the car, someone who missed you very much."

"Monty?"

"Yup, I asked and Laura said he'd be more than welcome to come with us."

"That's awesome! I can't wait to see him. Let's get this show on the road, Princess!"

She pushed him down the hall to the elevator, surprised at having to stop when one nurse or another came up to say good bye. For someone who was an awful patient, he always seemed to have the nurses wrapped around his little finger, female _and_ male. She was further surprised when Caro, Craig and Moira got into the elevator with them. Apparently he was getting the royal treatment and would be accompanied all the way to the door. And, apparently, out to the car. All three never even paused when they hit the lobby, following Kensi out to the Audi, where they made much of Monty who was trying to turn himself inside out at the sight of Deeks. Craig helped him into the car and, when he was buckled in and ready to go, they went through another round of goodbyes. Kensi finally started the car, figuring they'd get the hint that it was time for them to get on the road. She pulled away, watching out of the corner of her eye as Deeks waved goodbye, all three of them standing there until they turned the corner and were out of sight.

The drive to Santa Barbara started out with Deeks talking a mile a minute and ended with him sound asleep by the time she pulled up the driveway. As soon as she stopped the car, the front door opened and the Sheltons, Neal and Agent Leary stepped out. Obviously the welcoming committee, she thought with a smile. She turned to wake him up and frowned. His hands were fisted on his thighs and his eyes were moving rapidly under his lids. As she undid her seatbelt, a low moan escaped him. She jumped out of the car and ran around the hood, knowing what was about to happen. She held up her hand to the group making their way down the path, stopping them in their tracks. She opened his door and gently placed her left hand on his face, he responded by throwing his head back, the cords in his neck standing out as he released a long, agonized scream.

Meaghan turned into her mother who immediately put her arms around her, feeling the trembling running through her daughter's body, trembling she wasn't even aware her own body was replicating. John put his arms around both of them and started to herd them back into the house. Neal started towards his friend as the scream started to fade away but Cheryl put her hand on his arm to stop him. He looked at her and she shook her head no. She nodded towards the house and he went reluctantly, turning back to watch what was going on in the car, worried about both of them. The door shut behind them, leaving Kensi and Deeks alone.

She sat precariously on the little room left on his seat and started talking to him. "Deeks. You're safe baby! No one is going to hurt you. McGonagle is dead; Hetty put a bullet in him and ended him. Robinson's in jail. Parks's organization is broken. Timmons has no one left to help him. Come on baby, open those beautiful blue eyes for me." She kept stroking his face, hoping he'd understand he was safe now. His eyes finally opened and he stared at her blankly, his breaths coming in short, desperate pants. She knew he wasn't fully awake yet and said "Wake up Deeks, you're okay. I'm here and I won't let anyone hurt you." In her head she added "ever again." She didn't say the words out loud as that was a promise she just wouldn't make to him, knowing that it could be broken at any time in their line of work. But it was a promise she could, and did, make to herself.

He blinked a couple times, coming awake bit by bit. He looked at her with sad eyes. "I didn't do it Kensi. I didn't give him what he wanted."

"Who? McGonagle? What did he want?"

"He wanted me to beg. He wanted me to scream and cry. I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction."

"Sometimes you are just too stubborn for your own good, you know that don't you?" She leaned in to kiss him. His hand went up to the back of her head and he deepened the kiss. She responded eagerly, blowing away the tattered remnants of his nightmare. He started thinking instead about what he wanted to do to her when they made it into the house and his body responded. He took her hand and placed it on his body, letting her know exactly what she was doing to him. Instead of responding in kind, she sighed against his lips and pulled back. "I'm afraid that will have to wait."

"Why?" He asked as he reached for her again.

She nodded towards the house. "We have company."

"Are you kidding me right now?"

"I wish I was but I saw them come out when we pulled up. At a minimum all the Sheltons, Neal and his girlfriend are here. I have no idea if there's anyone else inside." She put her forehead against his and sighed again. Straightening back up she said "They're here because they care about you and wanted to welcome you, to celebrate you finally being out of the hospital. Don't make them feel unwanted in their own home."

"Of course I won't. It makes me happy to know they wanted to be here for me." He groaned a little. "I just wish the timing were a little different." A thought occurred to him and he stared at her in horror. "Wait, you saw them? Does that mean…?"

"Yes, I'm sorry but they saw you experience the nightmare." She wished she could tell him otherwise but it was too late now.

He closed his eyes in embarrassment, momentarily debating on asking her to drive him back to L.A. He opened them again when he realized that would be the coward's way out and that he really had nothing to be ashamed of. He nodded at her and smiled. Monty picked that moment to thrust his head between the seats and lick the whole left side of Deeks's face. When his master had screamed, the dog had cowered in the back seat, having no visible enemy to attack to help. Hearing the normal tenor of the two human's voices again, he'd finally stopped shaking and reached out to kiss his human. Kensi said "Ewwww." and Deeks just laughed, the moment breaking any residual tension.

She smiled back and got out of the car. He unbuckled his seatbelt and followed. As they were getting Monty out of the back, the front door opened and everyone piled out again. They approached slowly, not sure how to react until Deeks turned and opened his arms to Meaghan. The teenager ran to him and threw her arms around him saying "I'm so glad you're finally here, _Uncle_ Marty!"

He hugged her close and said "It's good to be here, Meggie."

She leaned back in his arms and said "That's the first time you've given me a nickname. I was starting to feel left out!"

"Can't let my favorite niece feel left out! Just… don't let Kamran know I said that, she'd sic Sam on me!"

She laughed and leaned in to hug him again, then stepped back to allow everyone else to greet him.

Laura stepped up and put her arms around him. "I'm so glad to see you up and about, little brother."

He returned the hug and said "Me too, sis, me too!" They smiled at each other and she stepped out of his arms. He turned to John and said "I heard that you got Naval Intelligence involved in the search and rescue, John. I don't know how to thank you!" He reached out a hand.

"You thanked me by getting out alive. It's good to see you Marty!" and Admiral John Shelton shocked Detective Martin Deeks by pulling him into a hug of his own. Deeks hesitated, mostly from surprise, and then hugged him back. They stepped away from each other, both looking vaguely embarrassed.

Neal was next, pulling him into a bro hug and saying "It's about time! I have someone I want to introduce you to." He stepped back and put a hand out to Cheryl, who took it. "Marty, this is FBI Agent Cheryl Leary."

Deeks has been looking forward to meeting this woman. He'd been a little concerned at hearing how quickly the two had entered a relationship but he carefully watched the way they looked at each other and saw only mutual love and affection. Neal was going to be just fine. He grinned at Cheryl and she felt her heart bump. She was already seeing why so many people had been concerned about him; she'd only just met him and was already willing to do whatever it took to keep him safe. She smiled and held out her hand. He swept her into a hug, saying "Welcome to the family Cheryl! If things don't work out with butler boy over there, I know a couple nice, single NCIS agents."

She grinned up at him as Neal punched him lightly in the arm and said "Hey! That's my girl you're offering to set up there, dude." They all laughed and any worries they'd had about how to treat him were gone.

The men moved around to the back of the Audi and started to unload it. Deeks went to help and was firmly, but gently, told no. He groused a little and stood by watching as they pulled the suitcases and doggie items out. When Neal reached in one last time and pulled out the instrument cases, he turned and looked at Kensi with a quirked eyebrow.

"What?" She asked defensively. "I thought it would help you to relax."

"Oh really? And if I happened to play some of your favorite songs?"

"Well, that would just be an added bonus!"

"Uh huh. I notice that neither my board nor wetsuit made it into the car!"

"You know Moira said no surfing."

"But she also said I could go out and sit on the water, as long as I didn't overdo it."

"Hmmpf, we all know how that would end up, don't we?"

"Kensi…."

Laura laughed "Moira warned me too! No surfing for you!"

"She's an evil woman." He pouted.

Kensi tapped him gently on the shoulder. "You know that isn't true. She just wants you to get better as quickly as possible and not do anything that could set you back. And that's something we're all on board with." She crossed her arms over her chest and mock glared at him. The rest took up position behind her and mimicked her stance. Deeks looked at them and felt a wave of love sweep over him. They were all here for _him_ ; they all wanted to protect _him_. He smiled and gave in graciously.

~,~,~

A/N – Thanks to OhBuddy66 for pretty much writing the section on Kensi finding Deeks's insurance papers and will. I only tweaked it at little to let it flow in with what was going on around it.

A/N2 – Thanks to Khept for suggesting he recover by the water.

A/N 3 – Thanks, as always, to honus47 for reading my chapters and finding my errors. Anything left is all on me!

A/N 4 – I am close to ending this story, but not this story world. I am thinking one more chapter, maybe two for this story arc and then new stories will be posted under different titles. I have wonderful prompts I still want to pursue from honus47, OhBuddy66, Phantom1s, yellowcallalily, Khept and several guest reviewers! If you think I might have missed one you sent me, PM me! I'm keeping a notebook with each person's name and suggestions, but I think I might have missed a couple. Keep new ones coming, the Sheltons aren't going anywhere soon (I hope)!


	73. Chapter 73

Chapter 73

They'd finally gotten everything into the house and the two of them situated. They were just gathering in the kitchen when they heard the sound of cars coming up the driveway. Everyone smiled at Kensi and Deeks's confusion and ushered the two out the front door in time to see Sam and Michelle getting out of the Challenger. Aiden and Kamran unfolded themselves from the back seat. Callen and Joelle were getting out of her car while Hetty was parking her Jaguar, Granger in the passenger seat, looking faintly green. Nell was just coming up the drive in her Mini Cooper with Eric pointing out where she should park. So, of course, she parked somewhere else. The two got out, laughing.

Kamran ran to Deeks, yelling "Uncle Marty!" as she came. He leaned over and caught her up in a hug, suppressing the pain in his ribs, glad to see her. She looked up at him and asked "Did you get my get well card?"

"I did! It was wonderful! In fact, I brought it here with me so I could look at it every day!"

"You did?" She looked up at him happily.

"Of course!" He stood back up and looked at Aiden standing behind her, looking around at the strangers surrounding Deeks. This was the first time that he'd meet the Sheltons as he was generally away at school, but he'd heard all about them from his mom. Michelle and Sam had agreed he could come home for a couple days, to see for himself that his 'Uncle' Marty was okay. Deeks smiled at him and held out his hand, knowing that the young man was trying very hard to be the prim and proper cadet, and said "Good to see you Aiden! How's school?"

Aiden blinked at him a couple times, remembering that his first thought when he'd heard Deeks was in the hospital and critical, was that it could just as easily have been his mom or dad. He knew what they did for a living. They'd told him a little over a year ago, although Kamran was still in the dark. He swallowed hard and, like John earlier, ignored the outstretched hand and pulled Deeks into a hug saying "I'm so glad you're okay Uncle Marty. You scared all of us." Deeks hugged him back and then looked into his eyes. He knew what Aiden was thinking and pulled him in again for another hug.

He whispered in his ear "If it ever comes down to that, we'll all be there for them and for you. You know that, right?" He pushed Aiden back a little and the young man nodded, not overly surprised that Deeks had known what was going on in his head. Deeks always seemed to know. He smiled and nodded again.

Sam and Michelle watched the exchange between their oldest child and Deeks and then shared a look. Neither of them knew what had been said between the two, but both were now smiling so they shrugged it off. If Aiden wanted to tell them, he would, if not, nothing would drag it out of him. Both of them blamed the other for that genetic trait.

The rest of the newly arrived visitors moved in and either hugged Deeks or clapped him on the back. When it was Granger's turn, he was the one who held out a hand but was hugged, again, this time with no advance warning. He seriously hoped this was not going to become a habit of the detective's. Deeks stood back and grinned. "I hear you had some nice things to say about me over the last few weeks!"

Granger glared at Kensi, Sam and Callen, all of whom tried to adopt a "Who, me?" expression but were mostly unsuccessful as they fought to keep the smiles from their faces. He turned back to Deeks and said grouchily "Only things that I felt were necessary to keep up morale until we found your sorry ass. And don't believe everything you hear!"

Deeks grinned at him and Granger found himself grinning back like an idiot. Once the greetings were over, everyone started pulling containers of food out of their cars. Kensi and Deeks looked at John who said "We thought we'd do a barbeque out back to celebrate. Everyone brought something. We'll cook everything up and you'll have leftovers for a few days. That way no one has to cook."

Deeks shared a look with Laura. He knew she was behind this. She didn't want him to have to cook and she knew Kensi would most likely land him back in the hospital if she tried to. He raised his eyebrows at her, conveying that he understood what she was up to and she just smiled in return. He smiled back, telling her, without words, just how much he appreciated her saving him from _that_ particular fate.

They brought everything into the kitchen and John went out the back door to start the grill. In true male fashion, every one of the guys trailed him outside to put their two cents in on how things should go, even Eric. Kensi struggled. She wanted to go with the guys, the grill being more her thing than helping around the kitchen. Laura nudged her. "Go ahead and go. We have plenty of help in here."

Kensi didn't need to be told twice and bolted out the door with a skip and a smile. They watched as she tried to sneak up behind Deeks and he just held out a hand to her without even looking or stopping his conversation. Kensi took it and snuggled up against his side. Those inside sighed and smiled, then started getting everything else together.

The food was cooked with lots of suggestions and laughs from the guys. Kensi kept her mouth shut on that. She could light it but she couldn't cook on it. Somehow everything ended up burnt or raw, no matter how carefully she watched. There was enough food to feed an army and everyone had more than enough to eat. Most were feeling like they should have stopped one burger or chicken wing earlier. Monty had made himself everyone's best friend, getting a little of this and a little of that, especially from Nell who still called him her hero. Hetty's egg and potato salad was the hit of the party, everyone asking for the recipe but she refused, stating she'd been given it in secret by Grace Kelly and she couldn't break her promise to never reveal it to anyone else. Those who didn't know her well gaped at her open mouthed. The others just took it in stride and stopped asking.

While the groups ebbed and flowed, Deeks finally found himself alone with Laura. He put a hand on her arm and asked quietly "Can I talk to you alone for a second?" Curious, she nodded and Deeks nonchalantly led her away from the others.

"What's wrong Marty?" She asked, becoming concerned.

"What? Oh! No, no, nothing's wrong, I just wanted to ask you a favor."

"Why are you being so mysterious about this?"

"It's important and I don't want Kensi to find out."

"Ok, now you're scaring me."

He took a deep breath and blurted out "I wanted to ask you to go ring shopping with me."

"Ring shopping? Oh my God! You're going to propose? That's so exciting!"

"Shhhhh! Keep it down! I want to surprise her. I was hoping that I could get you and Nell to go with me. I was thinking Nell, because she knows Kensi better than anyone, other than me. You, because I trust your fashion sense above anyone else I know. Any piece of jewelry I've ever seen you wear is always elegant and beautiful. I would really like your input. I figure we can narrow it down to two or three and then I'll get the rest of the girl's opinions. That way no one feels left out."

Laura's eyes filled with tears and her chin quivered. Deeks looked at her in horror, wondering what he'd done that was so wrong as to make her cry. He started to babble. "Look, I'll understand if you don't want to do this. I'm sorry if I've upset you, that was never my intention!"

Laura sniffled and punched him lightly in the arm. "Stupid! I'm not upset! I'm just so pleased you want me to help you with something so important! It would be my honor to go with you! I know just where we should start! My regular jeweler is wonderful, a real artist and she could make you a custom ring that no one else will ever have! I can set up an appointment with her whenever you're ready and we can give her input on Kensi. Then she'll come up with some designs that we can show to everyone else. Oh my God! This is going to be so much fun! Have you talked to Nell yet?"

"No, I haven't been able to get her alone. I have plenty of time. I want to be sure I'm completely recovered before I even start looking. I'll ask her as soon as I get the chance.

"I'll say it again, this is SO exciting! Can I tell John and Meaghan?"

"If you think they can keep it a secret. If Meaghan tells Val, Kensi will know the very next time they see each other. That girl _cannot_ keep a secret to save her soul."

Laura laughed and agreed. "Ok, I'll just tell John but tell him he can't tell anyone. I love having a secret!" She had a sudden thought. "What do you think Sam and Callen are going to say? What about Hetty and Owen? Will they let you stay partners if you're going to be married?"

Deeks blushed and said "Actually, I asked Sam and Callen for their permission to ask her at Cassie and Paula's wedding and they said okay. Hetty and Granger overheard us and gave me their blessing as well. Hopefully no one higher up like our Director has different ideas. If he does, then I'll quit, because I certainly won't give her up." He paused as another thought crossed his mind. "Oh God, Julia! I have to talk to Julia too." He swallowed hard. "Laura, what if she says no?"

"Julia?"

"What? No! Kensi. Wait, what? Do you think Julia will say no?" He was starting to panic, she could hear it in his voice.

"Marty! Of course Julia won't say no! She loves you. I would bet she's already been planning the wedding since you two started dating." She watched him, trying so hard not to laugh as the expressions chased themselves across his face.

"Wedding….oh lord, MY, OUR wedding!" At this point he was almost starting to hyperventilate and Laura threw her arms around him, laughing.

"I love you Marty Deeks! Don't ever change!"

His arms went around her and he replied. "I love you too Sis." There was no laughter in his voice, only sincerity. She leaned back and smiled into his eyes, appreciating the words. "You are such a sweet guy!" Smiling up at him she went back to her other concern. "You need to know, John and I had a discussion about you two a long time ago and he agreed to put any weight he has behind you two if it ever came down to someone threatening to split you up because of your relationship."

"He really said that?"

"Yes, we both think you belong together as partners, in every sense of the word."

"Laura, I don't know what to say! Thank you, and John, for that."

Laura reached up and kissed his cheek. She smiled and said "We should get back to the party before anyone gets suspicious about what we're doing off here by ourselves. I can already see Kensi eying us. If anyone asks either one of us, you pulled me aside to thank me for using the house."

Deeks smiled down at her. "You're good at this, aren't you?"

"It's an art form and I've perfected it!"

Laura put her arm through his and they wandered back to the party. Once all the leftovers were packaged up and put away, the grill and the kitchen cleaned, the sun was starting to go down and it was getting colder. The party moved over to a fire pit that John had installed the previous month. He was dying to try it out and this was the perfect time. With much 'assistance' from the others, the fire was eventually going merrily and they all settled around it. Kensi looked up from where she'd settled at Deeks's feet and made a suggestion. "You feel up to playing your guitar?"

He smiled down at her and nodded. She got up and went inside, coming out moments later with the case. He pulled the guitar out and made a couple of adjustments. Looking up he said "Any requests?"

The requests came fast and furious and they spent the next several hours singing along with whatever song he was playing. Eventually Kensi could see he was tiring so suggested making s'mores, having seen the ingredients in the kitchen. When everyone shouted their agreement, she took the guitar from him and placed it carefully back in the case, earning a quiet heartfelt thanks from him. They all took turns making the messy concoction, more than one of them dropping their marshmallow into the fire or letting it catch on fire if they weren't watching closely enough. Kamran, Aiden and Meaghan got along great and were inseparable all night, the teenagers even going so far as to give into childish things and taking turns chasing one of the other around the yard, playing tag, Monty in the middle of everything, barking happily.

Eventually, Kensi turned to offer another s'mores to Deeks, to find him fast asleep in the lounge chair, a smile on his face, his nose twitching. She stood there with the forgotten treat in her hand, watching him sleep and feeling it all washing over her again. Her hand trembled as she realized, once more, how close she'd come to losing him. Sam came up behind her and took the gooey mess out of her hand, handing it to Michelle who was right behind him. He put his arms around her and she sagged back against him. Speaking quietly he said "You have to let it go Kens. He's here and he's safe. With all our help, he'll be back to us in no time."

"I know Sam. It's just that, sometimes I get caught up in thinking about the might have beens and it scares me to think of a future without him in it. I love him so much."

Michelle had moved up beside them and put her hand on Kensi's shoulder saying "I've been there Kensi and it never goes away but it does get better, I can promise you that from personal experience." She shared a look with her husband, seeing the love for her in his eyes and she smiled.

Callen came up beside them to see what was going on and saw Deeks sound asleep. "So, what do we do? Wake him up or try to carry him into the house? We can't let him sleep out here, he's not well enough." The others started to join them, staring down at the sleeping man.

Sam grinned at him and took his arms from around Kensi, flexing his biceps. "What do you think you guys? Think I can carry him to his room?" All around him were nods, followed by phones being taken out of pockets and aimed in their direction. He bent over and gently picked the sleeping man up in his arms, frowning at how much lighter Deeks was then he'd expected. Another thing to lay at McGonagle's feet. Deeks murmured a little when he was picked up but settled quickly, burrowing his head into Sam's chest. Cameras went off all around as Sam carefully walked back up to the house, Kensi showing him the way to their room. They managed to get him there without his waking and Sam placed him carefully on the bed. Kensi gently pulled off his boots and socks and pulled a blanket up over him. He turned over onto his side, grunting a little at the pain he still felt in his ribs, even in his sleep and then was quiet.

They left him sleeping peacefully and went back out to the fire pit. His falling asleep started the general break up on the party. Sam and Michelle were the first to go, citing school the next day for Kamran, along with the long ride home. They said their goodbyes and thanked the Sheltons for a wonderful day, as well as for letting Deeks and Kensi use the house. Meaghan and Aiden exchanged phone numbers, having become fast friends. Meaghan gave hers to Kamran as well, knowing the little girl wouldn't want to be kept out of things, promising to text her soon.

Joelle and Callen left next, Joelle also having school the next day. Nell and Eric left with them. Hetty and Granger stayed for a while longer, talking quietly with John and Laura, Neal and Cheryl. The Sheltons, Neal and Cheryl were spending the night, Meaghan being given permission to skip school the next day. They would all be heading home the next morning, leaving Kensi and Deeks alone. Meaghan had eventually fallen asleep herself, sitting by the fire pit wrapped up in a quilt her mother had brought out for her. Kensi had been too nervous about Deeks being alone for long to stay. She'd said her good nights and gone in to slip into bed beside him, Monty lying in his bed in the corner, keeping a watch over them.

Neal and Cheryl had eventually gone to bed, leaving just the four of them still up. The friendship Hetty and Laura had struck up deepened during the evening as they discussed everything from tea to foreign policy. Granger and John had known of each other for a while, but had not actually met until that first case when NCIS had been assigned as their protection detail. They'd found they had a lot in common, and had become friends. Like the older Sheltons, Granger still couldn't put his finger on how or why the people who came into Deeks's orbit seemed to find themselves part of a larger whole, whether they wanted to or not.

Eventually, Granger and Hetty got up to leave and Laura woke Meaghan up to go to bed. They said their goodbyes and watched the Jaguar roar down the driveway, Granger hanging on for dear life. Tired, but happy, they made their way into the house to their own beds and the house spent a quiet night.


	74. Chapter 74

A/N – to my _Guest_ reviewer (reviewers?) who said "it is boring now. maybe you should think about finishing it. too long is never good. please. stop it soon or even better NOW " after chapter 70 and "this is beyond boring. please stop this. NOW" after chapter 73. I get it, I really do. This story took on a life of its own and it's not for everybody. I'm winding down now, I promise.

~,~,~,~

Chapter 74

Deeks rolled over onto his back and stretched. Big mistake! He'd slept so well he'd forgotten that his ribs still weren't completely healed. He gasped and curled in on himself, waiting for the pain to stop. When it did, he slowly straightened out, only then realizing that he was alone. He wondered where Kensi was. He remembered the fire pit, music, s'mores and feeling sleepy, that was the last thing until he woke up just now. For all he knew, she'd slept on the couch. He pulled the spare pillow into him and stuck his nose in it. Nope, she'd definitely slept here. He would know that scent anywhere. He hugged the pillow in closer, breathing deeper. Lying there, he heard voices coming from somewhere in the the house. He let go of the pillow and rolled onto his side carefully, then levered himself up and put his legs over the side of the bed. He looked down and saw he was still in his jeans and t-shirt from last night. He waited a moment and when he still felt okay; he stood up and started to make his way barefoot towards the voices.

He followed them into the kitchen as he finally registered the smells and his stomach rumbled. Smiling, he entered the room to see Neal at the stove and everyone else at the huge table, tucking into bacon and eggs. "Any of that left for the poor invalid?" He said as pathetically as possible, not above using his injuries to get what he wanted.

Neal looked at him over his shoulder and rolled his eyes. "No poor invalid here that I can see, just a shaggy slacker stumbling in at the tail end of breakfast, expecting the cook to wait on him."

"Nice dude, real nice."

"Hey, I just call 'em like I see 'em." Neal turned around with a smile and handed Deeks a plate piled high with steaming scrambled eggs, bacon and home fries. Deeks's mouth watered as he mumbled a thank you, shoveling the food into his mouth even as he made his way to an empty seat at the table. Feeling less famished, he looked up to find everyone looking at him.

"What?"

"It's just good to see you with a healthy appetite Deeks." Kensi said as she stood up to put her empty plate in the sink. She moved over to stand behind him and put her arms down his chest, resting her chin on his head, meaning what she'd said. He'd had little to no appetite when in the hospital, whether because he was still sick or because the food was just so awful. She decided it was a combination of the two. Last night he'd had a burger but not much else. Either way, it was good to see him eating heartily again. Sam's distress last night over how light he was had made her hypersensitive to his weight and eating habits.

"I swear it's the ocean air! I always feel hungry when I'm by the water." He said, leaning back into her.

She kissed the top of his head and said "Neal went to all the trouble of cooking that, see that you finish it all."

"Yes mommy dearest."

She laughed at him and he went back to eating, forcing himself to clean the plate even after he'd reached the point of feeling full, with her standing behind him, watching every bite. He sat back and looked up at her. "Do I get a gold star?"

"Yes, Shaggy, you get a gold star." She said as she squeezed his shoulders.

Neal had just finished cleaning up when John stood up and said "We need to get going. It's a long ride home." Everyone got their stuff together and said their goodbyes, hugs traded all around. Deeks pulled Neal aside and told him that he really liked Cheryl and that he wished them both the best. He did the same with her, adding a request that she be good to him, to which she'd replied with an emphatic yes and a return hug.

Piling into the Shelton's town car, everyone waved from the windows as Neal pointed them back to L.A. and home. Once they were gone, the place seemed almost too quiet. They wandered out to the back and Deeks sat in one of the larger lounge chairs, making sure to leave enough room for her to snuggle in against him. She settled in and sighed, feeling content. They watched the waves crash up onto the shore for a while, the gulls floating along the top of the water, diving in when they saw something to eat, watching people wander up and down the beach. Eventually he stirred and put a finger under her chin, raising her head to kiss her. She responded and he deepened the kiss, his hands starting to roam over her body of their own accord. He shifted a little and tweaked his ribs. He let out a small groan against her lips and she drew back, looking at him with concern.

"Are you sure you're up for this?" she asked.

He responded by taking her hand and moving it down his body. "What do you think?" he asked when he stopped.

She squeezed him gently and said "What I think is that we need to move this inside before we give everyone on the beach a free show." She stood up and held her hand out to him. He took it and let her help him up. She frowned at how much help she had to give him. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Kens, I want you and I need you. Right now. If you're that worried about me, you can let me set the pace. Trust me, I won't Iet you hurt me. I have a very good sense of self preservation." He grinned at her and wiggled his eyebrows. She laughed and thought that they both needed this closeness after the events of the last weeks. She pulled him in to her, pressing her body into his, giving into the needs that had been building up since he'd gone missing. The need for him. The need to feel him beside her, inside her, everywhere.

She pulled away from him, taking him by the hand and leading him into the house and back towards their bedroom, her heart in her eyes. She loved this man to distraction and she was about to show him just how much.

~,~,~,~

Kensi woke up several hours later when she moved to snuggle up against Deeks and found the bed empty. She felt his side and the sheets were cold, he'd been up for a while. She was trying to burrow back into the bed, happy and sated, when she heard it. The violin music was haunting and sad. She knew it was him. She got up and threw on some clothes. She padded out to the living room and saw him through the slider. He was standing with his back to the house, barefoot and dressed in jeans that hung too loosely on his too thin frame and a t-shirt. The violin was held gently in his hands and his eyes were closed as he played. She didn't recognize the music but it was beautiful. She wondered if it was something he'd written. She then noticed the pad of paper on the table beside him. It was covered in notes and scratch outs. She hadn't thought to pack his composition book when she packed the instruments.

The last notes died away and he lowered the violin as he said quietly, without turning, "Are you going to stand there and watch me or are you going to come out and join me?"

She laughed, she would never be sure how he sensed her presence at all times but it never ceased to give her a secret thrill. She opened the slider, went out and put her arms around his waist. "That was beautiful but made me feel really sad. What was it?"

"Just something I woke up hearing in my head."

"You amaze me."

He grinned down at her and said "I'll remember that the next time you decide that I'm annoying."

"I'll deny it. Play me something else?"

"Did you have something in mind?"

She just smiled at him and he shook his head. "Moonlight Sonata it is…again."

She moved off to the side as he put the violin back under his chin, closed his eyes and began to play. She watched as the lines on his face smoothed away as the music swelled around him. The bruises on his face had pretty much healed and he looked at peace. She was so glad she'd brought it with them. Playing it was so therapeutic for him. She glanced down towards the beach and saw a knot of people standing there, listening. Even as she watched, more people joined. She smiled, so proud of the man beside her. When the music ended, he opened his eyes and noticed the small crowd. He grinned and waved when they began to clap, taking a small bow. Turning towards her, he opened his mouth to say something but a weird look passed over his face and he turned to the table, writing feverishly on the pad of paper, making notes and then scratching them out, replacing them quickly. She made a quick decision.

"I need to run into town for a couple things."

"Ok. Do you want me to come with you?" he asked, not sounding very enthusiastic.

"No, you stay here. Do you need anything?"

He pulled her into a hug and said "I have everything I need right here."

She reached up and kissed him. He started to get frisky and she pulled away, laughing up at him. "If I don't leave now, I may never get out of here."

"Would that be so bad?" He growled at her, reaching for her again.

"Deeks! The sooner you let me go, the sooner I'll be back." She pressed up against him and whispered against his lips "Hold that thought."

She'd been gone about 20 minutes when his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and wasn't sure if he wanted to smile or grimace at the caller id. He took a deep breath, moved to one of the lounge chairs, sat before he answered. He had a feeling he should be seated for this call. He answered.

"Hey buddy, what's up? Where are you?"

"Really? When?"

"Oh, you heard?"

"No, no, I'm doing much better."

"Yeah, I know."

"Yeah, some nightmares."

"You are?"

"Next week? Friday?" He sighed. "Yeah, Friday works for me."

"Yes, I'll be there. A very wise man once told me that if I talk about things, it will make it easier." He laughed a little.

"I'll see you then."

After disconnecting the call, he stared out at the water, not really thinking about anything until Kensi returned. She bounded into the house, surprised to see him sitting so quietly. Worried, she walked up beside him and asked "Everything okay?"

He smiled up at her. "Yeah, everything's fine." He raised an eyebrow when he saw she had a bag in her hand. "Whatcha got there, sugarbear?"

She held it out to him. He took it and peeked inside. A smile lit up his whole face. "A music composition book! Is that what took you so long?"

"Yeah, I kinda had a hard time finding one."

He pulled her down beside him. "I love you for going to all that trouble. You really do take good care of me." She snuggled in next to him, settling with her arm across his waist and her head on his shoulder. He kissed the top of her head and they watched the sun begin to set.

The rest of their time at the beach house flew by. The days had been peaceful as they took short walks on the beach, each one getting longer as he regained his strength. He mostly ate well and started to put back on some of the weight he'd lost. They'd laughed and played in the surf, Monty enjoying it as much as they did. The nights, however, were a different story. His nightmares came and went. Most times, she would awaken when he started to thrash or moan and could sooth him out of it while he still slept on. It was the one where she hadn't gotten to him in time that worried her. He'd screamed and moaned in his sleep and she'd had a hard time waking him up from it. He'd gotten up and refused to come back to bed after she finally got him to wake up. He needed to talk to a professional and she planned on talking to Hetty as soon as they got back to L.A. She considered bringing it up now but figured it would be better to wait, for now they would deal with things as they were.

They spent one last morning on the beach and then packed up the car to head home. Neither really wanted to get back to reality but Hetty had made it clear she expected Kensi back to work on Monday morning. It was a quiet ride home.

By Tuesday night he was bored out of his mind. He followed her around the house begging. "Come on. Please Kens? I won't be any bother. I'll just sit on the couch and watch. I'll even nap if I get tired. Please?"

"Deeks! You aren't even cleared for desk duty yet. No, you can't come to work with me."

"I can drive! I'll just follow you in my car."

She looked at him in exasperation but a part of her understood how he felt. She knew if she were cooped up inside the house with only the dog for company, she wouldn't be happy either. He could take Monty to the beach but he still wasn't able to surf and it drove him nuts. She finally caved in and said "Ok, ok, ok. You can come with me. But you make a nuisance of yourself and I'll have someone else take you home."

"I'll be good, I promise!"

"Hmmphf." She really hoped she wasn't going to regret this.

Wednesday morning dawned bright…and early. He was up long before the alarm and made enough noise getting ready that she ended up throwing his pillow at him. He just caught it and laughed at her, urging her to get up and face the day. She responded by putting her head under her own pillow and going back to sleep. The end result was that she ended up running late and was already aggravated when they arrived at the Mission, his practically bouncing in the passenger seat for the whole ride doing nothing to mellow her.

Hetty wasn't in her office and neither of the boys were at their desks. She parked Deeks on the couch, reminding him of his promise to be good. He smiled at her and nodded, just as Sheila came out of wardrobe and saw him. She rushed over and leaned down to give him a hug saying "It's so good to see you Marty! How are you? Are you back to work?"

"No, he is NOT!" Kensi answered for him, giving him a glare.

Smiling, he hugged Sheila back and said "No, I'm just here for a visit. It's lonely sitting at home and there's nothing on television weekday mornings! I coerced Kensi into letting me come in with her."

Shelia smiled at him. "Well, it's good to see you. We all miss you around here!"

Deeks blushed, something Kensi noted with glee, feeling her aggravation lift a little. Maybe it would be fun to have him around; lord knows she missed her partner. Two days back to work and she was already hating the feeling of being a third wheel, tagging along behind Sam and Callen. Speaking of whom, she decided to go in search of, to tell them Deeks was here. Leaving him talking with Sheila, she wandered into the gym, and, not finding them there, she tried the firing range but it was empty. She headed up to Ops, checking in on Deeks who was now in conversation with Charlie Porter. She smiled at how animated he was, glad now that she'd let him come in with her, thinking it would be good for him. She stopped outside Ops when she heard Callen's voice mention Deeks's name and something about Robinson and a video. Moving up to the door, it opened for her and she walked through, ready for a fight. Six pairs of eyes turned to her and all conversation stopped.

"What video?"

"Kens, it's nothing." Said Callen.

"Don't bullshit me Callen. I heard you saying something about Deeks, Robinson and a video! Eric, I _knew_ there was something on that laptop from the packing plant that you hid from me. I let it go but now I want to know! I deserve to know!" She glared at everyone in the room.

Granger and Hetty exchanged glances. Neither of them wanted Kensi to see this but she had a point, everyone else had. "Agent Blye…Kensi…" started Granger.

"Don't try to put me off. He's sitting downstairs right now, not able to work because of those men, not able to do any of the things he loves to do. What video?!"

"Deeks is here?" Nell said excitedly and leapt out of her chair, running out of the room before anyone could say anything, Eric right on her heels. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sam and Callen sidling closer to the door. She turned and speared them with a look, both stopping in their tracks.

"Someone needs to tell me about this video!"

Hetty sighed and said "Kensi, they videotaped everything they did to Mr. Deeks. From the moment they brought him into that plant to when Sam and Callen helped to get him down. It's not something anyone should have to watch, especially not you."

Kensi paled as she realized what Hetty was talking about, picturing the bruises, wounds and marks on his body when they'd found him at that damn plant. "I want to see it!"

Sam walked up to her and forced her to look him in the face. "Why?"

"I need to know what they did to him!"

"Do you think it will make a difference in how things are? Do you really think watching that will do you any good?" He paused and asked softly "Do you think _Deeks_ would want you to see it?"

She opened and closed her mouth a few times, knowing the answer to all his questions was no, but wanting to see it all the same. She finally shook her head no and looked him in the eyes. "I wish McGonagle was still alive so I could kill him myself. I hear Deeks moaning in his sleep, I see him waking up screaming and I want to kill that bastard over and over again with my bare hands."

"I know! We all feel the same way but you need to concentrate on Deeks. McGonagle is dead, Robinson is in jail, the moles at LAPD and NCIS have been arrested and Parks's organization is broken. We all need to keep that in mind." He smiled at her and continued "And don't forget, you will shortly have the honor of telling Timmons about the additional charges against him."

Kensi nodded, picturing that scene in her mind. "I want Deeks to go with me for that." She turned and looked at Hetty and Granger, both of whom smiled and nodded. They were both thinking that they would pay money to see that particular confrontation. Hetty frowned as something Kensi had said registered with her.

"Mr. Deeks is still having nightmares?"

Kensi swallowed, not sure if this was something he would really have wanted her to share with the whole team. She had planned on talking to Hetty but privately, not blurting it out like she had. She nodded and watched as their boss marched out of Ops. She turned and looked at the three men still in the room with her. All three shrugged, none of them wanting to guess what Henrietta Lange had in mind.

Hetty walked down the stairs from Ops, seeing a small crowd around the couch behind the bullpen. She had to smile; it would appear that news of Mr. Deeks being in the building was spreading. She counted one forensics employee, her two analysts and two agents currently surrounding their detective. She walked up behind them quietly then cleared her throat. It never failed to make her laugh inside when everyone jumped, she was proud of her ability to take people unawares. She raised an eyebrow and everyone started babbling about having work to do, saying goodbye to Deeks and letting him know they were happy to see him there. They all scattered.

He looked at her quizzically as she took a seat on the chair to his left. She looked back at him, silent, waiting for him to start filling the silence as he always did, but he surprised her this time. He stayed quiet and waited for her. She finally cleared her throat again and said "Miss. Blye mentioned that you were still having nightmares.'

He frowned. "Oh, she did?"

"Don't be angry with her Mr. Deeks. It was something she said in the heat of the moment and I believe she regrets it."

"I'm fine Hetty."

"No, Mr. Deeks, you are not. You need to talk to someone."

"I know."

"Please don't argue with me. I know each one of you thinks that talking to a psychologist displays some kind of weakness but it doesn't."

"I know."

"Now, Mr. Getz will be back in town this week."

"I know."

"Whether you want to or not, you need….what?"

Deeks smiled at her, not sure when the last time he'd seen Hetty nonplussed was. "I know Nate is back in town this week. I've already spoken to him on the phone and I have an appointment with him on Friday."

"And do you intend to keep that appointment?"

"I do."

"Does Miss. Blye know?"

"No, I haven't found the right opening to tell her. I will tonight."

"You were not so cooperative last time, Mr. Deeks."

"And where did that get me? I'm not stupid, I can learn from my mistakes Hetty. Talking to Nate after Sidorov helped. I should have done it sooner but I was stubborn. I'd always gotten through things on my own. I didn't see the need to talk to someone who had a different perspective on what happened to me. I am not going down that road again."

She smiled at him. "No, Marty, you are not stupid at all." He smiled back, pleased to hear his first name on her lips. He started to say something when the rest of his team came running down the stairs. Sam reached him first and pulled him up and into a hug. Callen followed it up with one of his own. Granger stood behind them, looking somewhat at a loss. Deeks held out his arms and Granger surprised everyone by walking right into them, hugging him as well. Kensi hung back, not sure if he was going to be angry with her. She knew Hetty would've had time to let him know that she'd spilled the beans about his nightmares. When he smiled at her she felt a weight lift off her shoulders and she grinned back.

The grin slipped a little when Deeks pulled out his phone and scrolled through his pictures. When he found the one of Callen and the blonde wig, he held it up and said "I want to talk about this a little more now that I'm not drugged to the gills. You want to explain this Callen?"

Callen pulled out his own phone and scrolled through his own pictures, finding one of the best ones he'd taken of Sam carrying Deeks to bed. He held it up and said "I'd rather talk about this one."

Deeks jaw dropped open as he took in the picture and he looked around at the laughing faces. "Uh, let's call it a draw, shall we?"

~,~,~,~

A/N2 – okay, I thought this would be the end but…there's a least one more chapter. I completely forgot about Kensi letting Timmons know about the additional charges NCIS was bringing against him (thanks to my guest reviewer who reminded me)

A/N3 – Thanks to OhBuddy66 for the prompt about Kensi finding out about the video but the team won't let her see it as they try hard to make her understand why.

A/N4 – Thanks to cbetham who reminded me that the violin is in the house!

A/N5 – to my guest reviewer who said "You realize by now it could have been a book." Wow, never thought of it like that! How cool!


	75. Chapter 75

A/N – one last time (for this story), I don't own anything NCIS related other than the DVDs and OC's. Thanks to honus47 for reading and reviewing so many chapters of this story!

~,~,~,~

Chapter 75

Deeks moaned as Kensi worked her way down his back. He was laying on his stomach, clad only in his boxers, his arms out by his sides with her straddling his hips. He really needed to send Moira some flowers. Kensi moved further down his back, peppering it with kisses before applying the scar cream the doctor had given them when he'd gone to have the last of the stitches taken out. He moaned again when she hit a particularly sensitive spot and thought, maybe jewelry instead of flowers. Kensi laughed and asked him "Are you looking forward to going back to work tomorrow?"

"Hell yes! I'm done with being cooped up inside this apartment!" He replied. Moira had released him for desk duty with a little light field work and he was really anxious to get back to work. He just had to get through the rest of the weekend and then he'd be back. He missed the guys, he missed Nell and Eric. He'd gone into the Mission with Kensi a couple times but Hetty had deemed he was a distraction as it seemed people wanted to spend more time with him than on the tasks they were supposed to be attending to.

He was pulled from his thoughts when Kensi started on the backs of his legs, once again kissing her way down them. She'd started doing that after he'd caught her staring at the scars one morning when he'd come out of the shower at Santa Barbara. A random thought had crossed his mind and he'd almost dismissed it out of hand. He knew Kensi was not that shallow. Unfortunately though, it wouldn't go away. Was she repulsed by him now? Were the new scars more than she wanted to deal with? He'd blurted out the questions and she'd been furious with him, replying with "What the hell? Of course not! I didn't fall in love with your skin; I fell in love with you! Why would a few scars turn me off? We both have more than our fair share."

After that, she'd made it a point to kiss at least one of them when she had the chance. Now that she was applying the cream every night, he was treated to both the kisses and the feeling of her hands smoothing said cream over a good portion of his body. Both sensations had the predictable impact on his body. When she finished his legs, she slapped him on the butt and told him to roll over. He did so and his body's response to her was now very visible. She smiled in delight and a little devilment as she straddled him again, starting the kisses and applying the cream to his chest. He growled and tried to reach for her but she slapped his hands away. "Nah uh! Doctor's orders! This is supposed to be applied every day. Would you prefer to do it?"

She offered him the jar and he shook his head no. She continued to work her way down his abdomen, ending just above the waistband of his boxers, driving him crazy. He watched as she finally capped the jar and wiped her hands on a small towel she had ready for just this purpose. She had just finished when he grabbed her and flipped them both over, claiming his turn to apply kisses to her body. The rest of the evening ritual played out as it had since it started and they were both swept away.

~,~,~,~

Deeks sat on the couch behind the bullpen and stared up at the ceiling. He groaned and shook his head. Two days! He'd been back two days and he was already in trouble. He and Kensi had gone out to interview a possible witness to a marine's murder. Unfortunately, the witness turned out to be the murderer and had turned on both of them. Assuming Deeks was the stronger of the two, he'd gone after him first by punching him several times, hard to the stomach, causing the freshly healed ribs to protest loudly. Kensi had taken the guy out in two seconds flat while Deeks had lain on the ground, trying to suppress the pain and not make any sound that would key Kensi in to the fact that he was hurting. He knew what would happen. Light field duty would be off the table and he would be stuck at his desk for the foreseeable future.

What he should've remembered was that Kensi knew him as well as he knew her. She'd made him go see Moira after they took the guy into custody and handed him off to Sam and Callen at the boatshed. Moira had checked him over thoroughly and confirmed that nothing was broken or cracked but that he was going to have some spectacular bruises. Kensi had gone into overprotective mode and declared he was not going back out into the field and they'd argued about it all the way back to OSP. Hetty was not at her desk and, as the final decision would rest in her hands, he and Kensi were still at odds over this. She'd gone up to ops, looking for their Operations Manager and hadn't yet returned. He looked over at Hetty's desk, wondering again where she was.

He got his answer several minutes later when he heard her voice and that of Director Vance's. He sat up quickly, wincing at the pain that stabbed at him from the sudden movement. He levered himself off the couch to go see what was up. The director rarely put in an appearance here and, when he did, it usually didn't bode well. He made his way slowly to his desk and sat down just in time for the two of them to make their way down the stairs from ops and into the bullpen, followed closely by Kensi and Granger. Kensi was pale and obviously upset. Granger had his hand on her shoulder. Deeks looked from one to the other, wondering what was going on. The only thing he knew for sure was that it had something to do with him.

Hetty cleared her throat and spoke first. "Mr. Deeks, Director Vance is in Los Angeles to attend a conference and stopped in see how things were going here. He would like a word with you in private please."

Deeks's stomach dropped. This didn't sound good, not at all. He swallowed and nodded as he stood up, not able to control the slight wince that crossed his face. The director noticed immediately and frowned. He said "Let's sit in the lounge area, shall we Detective?" He indicated the back area Deeks had just come from and walked away, fully expecting Deeks to follow. Deeks looked from Granger to Hetty to Kensi and back, trying to see if any of them would give away what was going on and how much trouble he was in. He wracked his brains and could think of nothing he'd done that would warrant a dressing down from Vance. None of the faces looking back gave him anything. Kensi tried to smile encouragingly but failed miserably. He squared his shoulders and turned to follow his boss's boss's boss into the lounge.

Already seated in one of the armchairs, Vance pointed at the couch and said "Sit, Detective."

Deeks remained standing and asked "How much trouble am I in, Director Vance?"

Vance blinked a couple times and then smiled. "You aren't in any trouble Deeks." The smile and the use of the less formal mode of address caused some of the worry to recede and Deeks sat down on the couch as requested. He tried his best to hide the pain it caused him.

"If I'm not in trouble, what did you want to talk to me about in private, sir?"

Vance took a deep breath and the smile left his face. "I wanted to see for myself how you were doing after your ordeal and to tell you how glad I am that you're back with us." This time he swallowed hard and continued "What I saw on that video was horrendous, Deeks and I need to be sure you are well enough to be back. I wanted…"

Deeks had started to frown when the director mentioned a video and interrupted him asking "What video sir?"

Vance looked at him in surprise, only then realizing that no one had told the detective about the video or thought to tell him that Deeks didn't know of its existence. He didn't answer right away and Deeks asked again, louder and less respectfully. "What video?"

Out in the bullpen, trying hard not to get caught eavesdropping, three mouths dropped open as they realized what was going on. Kensi made a move to intervene but Granger put a hand on her arm, shaking his head in a silent no. They would have to deal with the fallout later.

Back in the lounge, Vance made a decision and said "The men who had you, videotaped everything that happened, Deeks. I'm not sure why you weren't informed of that fact. I can only assume they were trying to protect you. I'm sorry that I was the one who told you. That being said, I have to tell you that I have never seen such bravery and I'm honored to have you working here at NCIS."

Deeks heart had just about stopped when he heard Vance's explanation. He wanted to be angry with his team, with his bosses, but a part of him understood why they'd kept it from him. If it had been one of the others, Callen, Sam or God forbid, Kensi, he would have been in total agreement to not tell them about it. It didn't stop him from feeling sick. Had everyone seen it? Had Kensi? He realized that Vance was probably expecting some kind of response to his compliment and answered absently "It was more stubbornness than bravery, Director Vance."

"That's not true and you know it Detective! You saved Agent Hanna's live during the raid, at great harm to yourself. That's not stubbornness!"

"Maybe, maybe not. But Sam wouldn't have been there if it hadn't been for me. I should have been more careful in that warehouse. I should never have been taken." There, it was out in the open, the last thing he'd been worrying at in his mind.

"I would respectfully disagree. I was fully briefed on the situation from the moment you went missing. There was no way you could have foreseen what was going to happen."

"I knew something was wrong and I went in any way!"

"You expressed your misgivings and then followed your team leader's orders when they were overruled. That's what a good agent does Deeks. You need to know that Agent Callen also blames himself for the entire thing, as do Agents Hanna and Blye. All of them have indicated that they should have listened to you and not breached that warehouse. Do you blame them?"

"No, of course not, we had a job to do and we did it."

"Then why do you blame yourself?"

Deeks opened and closed his mouth a few times, not sure how to answer. As he thought about it, he realized the director was right and there was plenty of blame to go around or no one to blame other than the ones who'd actually taken him. Either way, he felt a little of the weight he hadn't even known he was carrying around, lift and he smiled at the man sitting next to him. "Thank you Director." He said softly.

"You're very welcome Detective." Vance tilted his head and decided to ask something that had been on his mind for a while now. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course. However, I can't guarantee that I'll answer." Deeks smiled as he said it.

"Why haven't you signed the papers to become an agent? I know Hetty offered them to you before she went to Prague."

"I'll tell you what I told her. I'm a cop. It's more than just what I do."

"You're as much a federal agent as anyone in this building Deeks. Do you think you could ever go back to LAPD and be just a cop now?"

Deeks frowned, not sure if he knew the answer to the question. He decided not to answer and simply shrugged. Vance sighed and moved onto the next topic he'd wanted to talk about. "You and Agent Blye will be going to Victorville at the end of the week to brief Timmons and his lawyer about the new charges being added to those already filed against him, correct?"

"Yes sir." Deeks grinned, already picturing the meeting in his head.

"You and Agent Blye deserve the opportunity to be the ones to tell him. I don't need to tell you that you need to be careful about how much information to release to Timmons's lawyer? There are still ongoing investigations based on some of the information Robinson gave us."

"No sir, I am well aware of what his lawyer needs to know and what he doesn't." Deeks quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Sorry, I forget that you're also a lawyer." Vance stood up and Deeks went to stand as well. The director put his hand on his shoulder, stopping him. "I know you had an altercation with a suspect today and I saw the pain on your face earlier. Take your time and rest. We want you back but not at the expense of your health."

Deeks settled back into the couch. "Thank you, sir." He had some things he needed to think about and was glad he would have some time to himself before facing his team.

Vance walked towards the bullpen but stopped and turned one last time. "When you finally make the decision to become an agent, I want you to know that I'll approve it immediately. You'll make a damn good agent." He turned and walked away, leaving a surprised Deeks behind him. A Deeks who heard an echo of Sam's voice in his head.

He shook his head and leaned back, staring at the ceiling once more, trying to put his thoughts in order. His solitude didn't last long. He knew she was there before the tentative "Deeks?" she offered. He closed his eyes, feeling the nausea form again as he pictured her watching what they had done to him.

"Did you watch it?" he asked softly.

"No! At least, not more than a few seconds here and there. I only found out about it that first day I brought you into work with me. I walked in on them watching it. I wanted to watch it, felt like I needed to."

"Why didn't you?"

"Sam talked me out of it. He said there was no need and that you probably wouldn't want me to see it."

"Sam's a very smart man."

"I know."

He sat up and opened his eyes. He saw concern but nothing else on her face. He took a deep breath and asked "Who else has seen it?"

"Eric, Nell, Hetty, Granger, Sam, Callen and now Director Vance. None of them wanted to watch it baby, but they needed to for the information on it. Hetty told me that Director Vance asked to see it and Eric and Nell put it up on the screen and then walked out. They refused to stay and see it again. When I went to talk to Hetty about your duty status, it was up. That's the second time I've walked in on it. Both times it was taken down immediately. That's all I've seen and all I'll ever see."

He held his hand out to her and she took it. He pulled her down on the couch next to him and she snuggled in with her head on his shoulder, not worrying for the moment about their rule of not showing affection during work hours. He was quiet for a few minutes and then asked "Do you think they'll treat me differently now?"

"Why would they? From what I've been told, there's nothing on those tapes to make anyone think less of you. In fact, the only comments made were that you were strong….and stubborn…and a smart ass. But we knew all that already."

He laughed and it felt good. He'd talk with the guys later but for now, he settled himself deeper in the couch and pulled her even closer to him. He had a lot to think about after his conversation with Vance and some decisions to make.

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Friday morning Deeks and Kensi drove up to Victorville. Both were practically giddy with excitement as they each pictured telling Timmons how he was going to be buried in additional charges. Sam and Callen had wanted to come with them but a new case had cropped up last night and they were both working on it today. When done with Timmons, they would be returning to L.A. and joining their team mates on it.

Deeks had talked to each one of his team members about the video. Nell had just started to cry and he'd ended up holding her until she worked it out of her system. Eric had refused to talk about it at all. Callen had once again stated that he felt everything that had happened to him was his fault and assured Deeks he would be paying attention to his gut feelings from now on. For the first time Deeks heard that Callen still blamed himself for his and Sam's torture at the hands of Sidorov. Deeks had told him that he felt that he was the one at fault this time. They'd had one of their longest conversations and, in the end, had both agreed to blame Robinson, McGonagle, Parks and Timmons. Sam had simply pulled him into a hug and told him again that he owed him his life. Hetty had just looked at him and offered him tea. Granger had been the most honest. He'd said that it was one of the worst things he'd ever had to sit through and hoped he would never experience anything like it again. None of them appeared to treat him differently and he had finally decided to let it go.

Kensi pulled into the parking lot at the prison and turned to look at him. "Are you ready for this?"

"Oh hell yeah! I've been dying to do this."

"Then let's go partner!" They both got out of the car and headed towards the entrance. They'd barely gotten 20 feet from the car when they were hailed by a familiar voice.

"Wait up!" Both turned to see Talia hurrying their way. When she reached them she hugged both of them. She stood back and looked Deeks up and down. Satisfied that he looked back to normal, she grinned at both of them.

"Talia? What are you doing here?" asked Kensi. There was no animosity in her voice. The two of them had become more friendly and she knew for a fact that the DEA agent and Craig had been seeing a lot of each other over the last few weeks.

"As I told you before, Robinson's information led to the DEA breaking up some major drug rings. Several of the guys have rolled on Parks but, more importantly, some of the guys higher up have rolled on Timmons. We have sworn statements that Parks had some influence over their judges that got them out of jail time. The judges named have all given up Timmons as the one who orchestrated things. We're filing charges of drug trafficking to the ones already pending. I contacted his lawyer for a meeting and was told he was already meeting NCIS here today and I invited myself along." She grinned widely at the pleased looks on both their faces. In their opinions, they couldn't come up with enough charges against the man.

Kensi turned back towards the prison, saying over her shoulder "The more the merrier! Let's get this rolling!" As she walked towards the entrance, a blonde woman who was leaning against the wall pushed herself up and straightened at their approach.

"Cheryl? What the hell? Is every agency here today?" Deeks asked as he hugged her.

She smiled and turned to hug Kensi and then held her hand out to Talia. "Agent Del Campo, it's nice to see you again."

"It's Talia and the feeling is mutual. So what _does_ bring you here today?" asked Talia as she shook the FBI agent's hand.

"The same as you three. While the charges for the murder of my partner are already part of those NCIS is presenting today, I wanted to be here. I wanted to look him in the face when he hears about this." She replied. The four of them shared a knowing look, they'd all been there. They'd all lost a partner and understood her need to see justice served, however late. As a unit, they turned and walked inside.

The four of them were shown to a room where they would wait for Timmons and his lawyer to arrive. The women insisted Deeks sit as he was still recovering and they took up positions behind him. Kensi was to his right, Talia to his left and Cheryl behind him. When Timmons walked through the door, his expression was priceless. He'd known that NCIS was meeting with him but not who. The fact that Deeks was still alive and present was obviously not something he'd expected. He quickly schooled his expression into one of indifference. His lawyer sat next to him at the table and folded his arms across his chest.

"To what do we owe the appearance of Charlie's Angels today?" the lawyer asked, his tone of voice deliberately insulting.

Deeks frowned and looked at the women flanking him. Two kick ass brunettes and an equally kick ass blonde. He smiled in delight and turned back to the lawyer and Timmons. "Well, who knew? Am I Bosley or Charlie? You know what? Doesn't matter. Mr. Timmons, I'm going to assume you're surprised to see me here, alive."

The lawyer put his hand on Timmons's arm and replied "Why would my client be surprised to see you alive Mr….?"

"Deeks. LAPD Detective Marty Deeks and this is NCIS Agent Kensi Blye, DEA Agent Talia Del Campo and FBI Agent Cheryl Leary. Your client should be surprised to see me alive because he and his lover, Steve Parks, conspired to have me abducted, tortured and killed in an aborted attempt to get Mr. Timmons here released from prison and out of the states to a non-extradition country. Obviously, their plan failed. Miserably I might add."

"My client has no idea what you are talking about, Detective…Deeks is it?"

"Sorry to burst your bubble Mr…?"

"Klein. Abraham Klein. I represent Judge Timmons and you will address all your comments to me."

"Very well, Mr. Klein, in addition to the charges already pending against your client, additional charges of conspiracy to commit murder in the deaths of Katie Willis, federal prosecutor, her husband Michael, their unborn child, FBI Agents Rick Higgins and Simon Heath, will be filed. Also, as I previously stated, he is being charged with conspiracy to abduct, torture and murder a federal agent." Deeks paused and then pointed to himself. "That would be me."

Kensi took over. "Due to his…association with Steven Parks, an arms dealer who dealt weapons to known terrorist groups, charges of conspiracy to commit treason will also be levied against him. I believe that the DEA has some charges of their own that they will also be filing. Agent Del Campo?"

Talia joined in the fun, watching as the ex-judge's face went from bright red to stark white as each charge was read off. "The DEA will be filing charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled narcotics. His interference with the trials of several major drug dealers in California will be cited as the reason for these charges."

Klein was staring at them in confusion. These charges were much greater than anything he would have expected when his firm had agreed to take on the judge as a client after he'd been turned down by several other prominent L.A. criminal defense lawyers. He'd thought that this would be the case that would make him. His version of the O.J. Simpson case, something every defense lawyer aspired to. Now he was starting to think that this case would be the one to ruin him. He turned to his client, his questions written all over his face. Timmons looked at him and snarled. "It's all false. This is a vendetta against me because I refused to allow shoddy police work to be used against defendants in my court room. Detective Deeks has a personal grudge against me due to the unfortunate murders of his friends the Willises, something I had nothing to do with! In addition, the daughter of a close friend of his made ridiculous charges against my son who he then railroaded into juvenile detention!"

Klein looked back to Deeks who responded "We have hard evidence against his son, as well as the boy's confession in exchange for a lighter sentence and his agreement to get help with his issues. Each of the other charges against your client are backed up by…" he paused and lost focus. Kensi's hand on his shoulder centered him. "…backed up by video evidence of two people in the employ of Steven Parks where they incriminated themselves, Parks and Timmons. Sworn statements by others who have been arrested due to this video evidence have compounded the charges. You don't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting your client acquitted of a single one of them." With this, Deeks stood up and handed Klein his card. "If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at this number."

Talia also handed Klein her card. The four of them turned to leave when Timmons hissed at Deeks "I wish to God they'd succeeded. You should be dead by now and no one would have shed a tear!"

Kensi, Talia and Cheryl all whirled around but it was Kensi who spoke first. "You are a boil on the ass of the human race! I hope they seek the death penalty for you. And if they do, I will be there, front and center at your execution, a smile on my face as I watch you gasp out your last breath!" The other two women added their vows to be present and Timmons sneered at them. Klein put his hand on the ex-judge's arm, only to be swatted away. He was already plotting on how to get his firm to drop Timmons as a client and get out from under this.

Deeks looked at Timmons and said "You know, I almost feel sorry for you. Almost. Well, actually, no, not at all. You're either going to get a lethal injection or spend the rest of your life behind bars in a maximum security prison. I plan on making sure that the prosecution goes for no chance of parole. You will never see the light of day again if I have anything to do with it. You remember that while you sit behind bars, knowing that I'm out there, enjoying the sunshine and my freedom. Somewhere I hear Katie and Michael cheering. Enjoy the rest of your life, however long it is." He turned and gestured for the women to exit before him. He followed them out without looking back. He could hear Timmons and Klein already arguing. He smiled and felt lighter than he had in a long, _long_ time.

~,~,~,~

A/N2 - thanks to OhBuddy66 for the suggestions on Vance seeing the video and his talk with Deeks. I hope I did justice to it?

A/N3– okay, that's it for this story. I will be writing sequels and I hope you will read and review those as well. To all my guest reviewers who I can't reply to directly or those who I can't PM: Thank you! Merci! Grazie! Gracias! To anyone who reviewed but I didn't reply to, I'm sorry and I do appreciate your time and effort to leave a review on this. It's been a fun, stressful, wonderful ride!


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